← All questionsGS4 · 2023 · Case Studies — Applied Ethics ·Landslide: Blood Transfusion Dilemma (Case)
QUESTION 8
GS4
20 marks

A landslide occurred in the middle of the night on 20th July. 2023 in a remote mountain hamlet, approximately 60 kilometers from Uttarkashi. The landslide was caused by torrential rains and has resulted in large-scale destruction of property and life. You, as District Magistrate of that area, have rushed to the spot with a team of doctors, NGOs, media and police along with numerous support staff to oversee the rescue operations. A man came running to you with a request for urgent medical help for his pregnant wife who is in labour and in loosing blood. You directed your medical team to examine his wife. They return and convey to you that this woman needs blood transfusion immediately. Upon enquiry, you come to know that a few blood collection bags and blood group test kits are available in the ambulance accompanying your team. Few people of your team have already volunteered to donate blood. Being a physician who has graduated from AIIMS, you know that blood for transfusion needs to be procured only through a recognized blood bank. Your team members are divided on this issue; some favour transfusing, while some others oppose it. The doctors in the team are ready to facilitate the delivery provided they are not penalised for transfusion. Now you are in a dilemma. Your professional training emphasizes on prioritising service to humanity and saving lives of individuals.(a) What are the ethical issues involved in this case?(b) Evaluate the options available to you, being District Magistrate of the area.

WRITE IN
14 min
250 words

What the examiner wants

As DM at a landslide site, you must decide whether to allow an on-site blood transfusion outside a recognised blood bank to save a woman in labour.

Case studyName the stakeholders and the issues, weigh the options, and say what you would do and why.

Demand-wise check

  1. 1(a) Ethical issues: right to life vs rules on blood safety, professional ethics of doctors, accountability of the DM, consent, risk of infection≈65 words
  2. 2(b) Options: refuse and wait for a blood bank; allow transfusion with tested blood, consent and records; arrange urgent evacuation to the nearest hospital; combine options≈65 words
  3. 3Best course: start evacuation at once; if delay risks her life, allow the transfusion with grouping and screening using the kits, informed consent and full documentation, and take responsibility so doctors are protected≈65 words

Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.

Answer plan

Facts(a) issues(b) each option with pros and consChosen course with safeguardsConclusion

Where marks usually go

  • Choosing to break the rules without safeguards (testing, consent, records)
  • Not evaluating each option, which the question asks for

Draw this

  • Decision tree: time to hospital? → safe evacuation / emergency transfusion with safeguards

Value addition

  • LawArticle 21 has been read by the Supreme Court to include the right to emergency medical care (Parmanand Katara v Union of India, 1989).Supreme Court of India
  • LawDisaster Management Act, 2005 gives the District Disaster Management Authority powers to take emergency measures.Disaster Management Act, 2005

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