Doctors debate who would be allowed to die in pandemic

I'll bet not everybody is raising his hand all at once!

It sounds cruel, but there is no easy way around the facts. I've recently read cases and documents related to the last pandemic in the early 20th century. It wasn't pretty. The next one will not be any better. Yes, we have more hospitals then in the early 1900's but we also have more people. The situation with resources vs need will be very similar to the 1900's.

It will be just like a Mass-Casualty Incident. You triage the best you can with the goal of getting help to those you hope will have the best chance of survival.

And I know that I can be just as easily be one of the ones that is told "I'm sorry pal, you are too far down on the priority list." I won't be happy about it, but I'd know that they were doing the best that they could under the circumstances.

If we do have a pandemic, it will probably be something that we are not even looking for. Too much publicity has been generated about SARS and the Avial Flu. Nah, we'll get blindsided by something.

Logical but triage is the closest we ever get to playing GOD. Years later I still have to ponder if then I made the right call.....ghosts that haunt me.

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