The pandemic and the ethical dilemma of limited resources: Who to treat?

The different ethical perspectives on the issue of distribution of scarce resources are discussed in this article. While the problem of distribution of resources does not exist in an ideal situation with sufficient availability of resources for everyone, in fact, in the context of a pandemic the distribution of scarce resources is revealed in a dramatic and urgent way. As regards this issue, there is agreement on the fact that distribution should be “fair”, according to the shared meaning of justice as “not to harm others” and to “give each his own”. However, within the pluralist discussion, there are different ways of conceiving justice on a theoretical level and applying it at a concrete level. This article examines classical bioethical theories that are reappearing in the discussion today – with different levels of intensity, or in different formulations – and this, in the light of the most important international and national ethical guidelines and recommendations on the distribution of resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.