Open AccessDo COVID-19 patients needing extended care in an intensive care unit fall under the ‘emergency medical treatment’ provisions of the South African Constitution?
Author(s) -
David McQuoidMason
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
samj. south african medical journal/south african medical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.527
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 2078-5135
pISSN - 0256-9574
DOI - 10.7196/samj.2020.v111i1.15424
Subject(s) - medicine , intensive care unit , constitution , covid-19 , health care , medical emergency , emergency treatment , meaning (existential) , medical treatment , nursing , intensive care medicine , disease , law , psychology , pathology , political science , infectious disease (medical specialty) , psychotherapist
Whether COVID-19 patients in need of extended care in an intensive care unit qualify for 'emergency medical treatment' is answered by considering the Constitution, the meaning of emergency medical treatment, and whether such patients are in an incurable chronic condition. Considering ethical guidelines for the withholding and withdrawal of treatment may assist a court in determining whether a healthcare practitioner has acted with the degree of skill and care required of a reasonably competent practitioner in his or her branch of the profession.