This week has however, not been without it's thought provoking moments. This one a legal and moral quandry. I saw a lady in OPD who was 8 weeks pregnant and who had come in the week before to request a termination. She had been counselled by one of the doctors and referred to the social worker for further counselling. However when she came back to collect a letter to allow her to catch the bus to our local Marie Stopes clinic (some 4 hours away), the doctor who saw her refused and sent her away. Confused by his notes I asked him about this and he informed me that due to his religous beliefs he was not willing to refer her, and that the 3 other doctors avaiable at the time also held similar opinions. He had advised her to come back another day.
I appreciate that this is by no means an ethical issue limited to Mosvold; I have worked with doctors with similar views in the UK and Australia. And I do appreciate that for some people it is a very emotive issue. Normally I can accept that those of us who feel less strongly on this issue should take over these cases. However, in a hospital of only 8 doctors serving a very poor community who can ill-afford multiple trips to hospital, let alone another child, I can't help but feel that refusing to refer a patient on the grounds of our beliefs is a luxury that we do not have.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment