Some issues of biomedical ethics in a pandemic (review)

Abstract

The article is an analytical review of English-language articles devoted to modern problems of biomedical ethics. The article considers such ethical categories as respect for the freedom of the patient, paternalism, protection of the patient’s interests, the principle of sustainability, justified allocation of resources, etc. It is noted, in particular, that, according to the principle of equitable distribution of medical resources, everyone receives what they deserve, in accordance with the needs of health and no one is discriminated against because of individual characteristics such as gender, socioeconomic status or age. Under the principle of patient freedom, people have the right to make informed decisions of their own, including with regard to voluntary vaccination programs, and can act according to their norms, desires and beliefs. This review presents articles that, for the first time, consider the ethical aspects of dealing with the consequences of coronavirus infection. In particular, it is indicated that decisions on the priority of vaccination should be based on such principles as: a) equal moral value of each person, b) available knowledge to maximize public health by preventing COVID-19. An open and transparent dialogue with the public is needed to ensure and, in the long term, increase public confidence and justification for the adoption of a vaccination strategy. It should contain information on the current state of knowledge about the vaccine itself and about political decision-making processes, including the underlying ethical arguments.