Chandy Sujith J, Ranjalkar Jaya, Chandy Sheeba S
Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Ethicist, College Campus, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
J Family Med Prim Care. 2021 Jan;10(1):22-26. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1653_20. Epub 2021 Jan 30.
COVID-19 has affected the daily activities of people across the globe. The effects of the pandemic have not just been medical, but also societal and economical. The responses of government and the public have varied in different countries. Measures have ranged from improving hygiene, information dissemination, and social distancing to more radical measures such as social isolation, quarantine and lockdown. The disease and human responses have had consequences on the way we live, work, eat and rest. Life and livelihoods have been affected. This article highlights how the response to the pandemic has affected various aspects of healthcare and ethical dilemmas this has raised. As the pandemic progresses, awareness and evaluation of the unintended consequences of the pandemic and responses on our health and healthcare systems are needed. Discussing these points and being aware of the ethical issues may help countries and policy makers plan suitable strategies to mitigate these collateral effects, especially as the pandemic continues. It is hoped that this article will support healthcare workers, especially those in primary and secondary healthcare, as they overcome various challenges to treat patients with existing and prior diseases, and encourage them to advocate for robust and sustainable healthcare systems for public health. This would then help effectively combat future epidemics. Most importantly, it can mitigate the adverse collateral effects on healthcare that the public are experiencing and the treatment dilemmas that family and primary care physicians are facing.
新冠疫情已经影响了全球各地人们的日常活动。这场大流行的影响不仅体现在医学方面，还涉及社会和经济领域。不同国家的政府和公众的应对措施各不相同。措施范围从改善卫生条件、信息传播和保持社交距离到更为激进的措施，如社会隔离、检疫和封锁。该疾病以及人类的应对措施已经对我们的生活、工作、饮食和休息方式产生了影响。生活和生计都受到了影响。本文着重介绍了对大流行的应对措施如何影响了医疗保健的各个方面以及由此引发的伦理困境。随着大流行的发展，需要对大流行及其应对措施对我们的健康和医疗系统产生的意外后果进行认识和评估。讨论这些要点并意识到伦理问题可能有助于各国和政策制定者制定合适的策略来减轻这些附带影响，尤其是在大流行持续的情况下。希望本文能为医护人员，特别是基层和二级医疗保健领域的医护人员提供支持，帮助他们克服各种挑战，治疗患有现有疾病和既往疾病的患者，并鼓励他们倡导建立强大且可持续的公共卫生医疗系统。这将有助于有效应对未来的疫情。最重要的是，它可以减轻公众在医疗保健方面所经历的不利附带影响以及家庭和初级保健医生所面临的治疗困境。
