A study of British doctors found that some doctors admit they deem elderly people “less deserving” of optimal care. This is not unexpected. The signs have been there for years. From the story in the Telegraph:”Doctors in Britain regularly discriminate against older patients by denying them tests and treatments they offer to younger people, research shows today.”
If there is a silver lining, however, it is that the discrimination is not being sanctioned. “Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the head of science and ethics at the British Medical Association, said they were in the process of producing their own information for doctors on age discrimination, as they had with race and gender discrimination. ‘Research like this is very useful in helping us to inspect our attitudes and the subtle patterns of locked-in behaviour that doctors may not be aware of,’ she said.
“There could be good reasons why a doctor would not subject an elderly person to tests or treatments, she said. ‘A doctor needs to know that if they do a test and it is positive that they can then do something to help. We would not subject anybody to a test needlessly. But to deny a person tests just because of age is unfair and wrong. Decisions should be made for clinical reasons.’”
Indeed. No doubt this has much to do with the wretched condition of the NHS. When resources get tight, the weak or the first ones to be deemed less worthy of quality care.
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