The Scottish Government
has released plans which potentially
deprioritise people with health problems
and disabilities for life-saving
treatment. Its consultation document “Pandemic
Flu: The Scottish Government’s Framework
for Responding to an Influenza Pandemic”
lays down guidance about what might
happen if flu pandemic were to sweep
Scotland. It talks about how health and
care services should attempt to cope in
a scenario where up to 50% of the people
in Scotland were showing symptoms of
influenza, 4% requiring hospital
admission and 2.5% facing risk of death.
The
consultation has frightening and
discriminatory implications for the one
in five people in Scotland living with a
disability.
At the height of a
pandemic the Government would introduce
prioritisation criteria in order to cope
with demand for treatment and allocate
its resources.
Many of the
prioritisation criteria suggested could
potentially result in the withdrawal of
treatment from people with poor
underlying health or disabilities, in
order to save resources for those seen
as having a higher chance of survival.
This could include the withdrawing
treatment that has already started.
Those in the advanced stages of cancer
for instance. In the most extreme cases
allocations may be required on a first
come, first served basis - after
assessment of criteria including the
overall resource needs of the patients.
Further,
for those who fail to respond to
treatment at an early stage, that
treatment could be withdrawn in favour
of symptom relief.
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SDEF
understands the need to ration
resources but is disappointed that,
as is often the case, people with
disabilities are the first to suffer
from funding constraints. We believe
this to be symptomatic of people
with disabilities being excluded and
undervalued in our society.
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We
believe that the Government has a
duty to invest all resources
possible in planning, preventing and
investing in services to ensure the
scenario presented in the
consultation does not arise.
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SDEF
believes that the overall resource
needs of the patient should not
relate to their worthiness of
treatment. Further, a person with a
disability may have higher resource
needs which are entirely unrelated
to their chance of survival.
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People with disabilities may have
difficulty communicating their needs
and responses and may be denied
treatment as a result.
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It
seems illogical to prioritise
vulnerable individuals including
those with disabilities or poor
health for preventative measures
such as the flu jab, then putting
them to the back of the queue for
treatment.
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SDEF
believes these criteria could easily
lead to arbitrary decisions being
made as to whether to continue
treatment.
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The
proposals are clearly contrary to
the Government’s duty to promote
equal treatment of people with
disabilities under the Disability
Discrimination Act. They are also
contrary to its duty to protect the
right to life and the right to be
free from discrimination in relation
to this right under the Human Rights
Act 1998. The Government also has a
duty to provide adequate,
non-discriminatory, healthcare under
the UN Convention of Economic and
Social Rights.
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We would ask the
government to reconsider its position in
relation to these criteria and place
more value in the health and lives of
people with disabilities.
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