Equality and Justice in Medicine: a paradigm of Uncertainty Equidade e Justiça em Medicina: um paradigma de Incerteza Equidad y Justicia en Medicina: un paradigma de Incerteza

Equity in the sense of equal access to mainline contemporary medicine is recognized as one of today's greatest challenges: economically, politically, and morally. The treatments of contemporary medicine are either unavailable or too expensive for most sick persons in the world. There is an experience of inequity and injustice which is extensive and can be turned into a motor for revolution if left unaddressed. The distribution of health-care services to all persons on the same standard is both an ideal and a driving force to change in society. In Natural Law Theory, equity and justice are principles revealed in human responses to reality. Human beings, even children, demand equity and justice. Health care systems attempt to put these principles into concrete services, but none do so adequately or to the satisfaction of all. This situation creates the challenge of equity and justice in high-tech medicine. Different medical service models are looked at and compared. Challenging circumstances to achieving equity and justice in health care are considered. Finally, the challenge created by a war metaphor and an industrial metaphor, both of which operate in contemporary medicine, is examined. Ideals like equity and justice are never fully concretized but remain important for driving needed changes in health-care systems.