Summary |
Health resource allocation concerns the allocation of resources that contribute to individual and public health. The recognition that health is subject to 'social determinants' that often have more influence than direct healthcare means that this category is much wider than the corresponding category of 'medical resource allocation' (to avoid duplication, papers concerning narrowly medical resources are not included in this category). Some issues are shared between the two categories: as with the allocation of medical resources, the allocation of health resources is a subfield within more general concerns about distributive justice. As such, much discussion of healthcare allocation uses familiar terms and theories from this broader area. However, it is also a subject that has been seen by many to have particular importance, due to the central importance that health plays in human lives. Broader questions include whether health care is 'special' compared with other ways of promoting health; whether allocations of health resources should be concerned with the health only of individuals, or also of groups; whether and how far the promotion of public health warrants compulsion or coercion; and how the demands of national health compete with global health. |