Public health priority setting: A case for priority to the worse off in well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic

Authors

  • Sindre A. Horn University of Bergen
  • Mathias Barra Akershus University Hospital
  • Ole Frithjof Norheim University of Bergen
  • Carl Tollef Solberg University of Oslo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5324/eip.v15i2.4097

Abstract

In Norway, priority for health interventions is assigned on the basis of three official criteria: health benefit, resources, and severity. Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have mainly happened through intersectoral public health efforts such as lockdowns, quarantines, information campaigns, social distancing and, more recently, vaccine distribution. The aim of this article is to evaluate potential priority setting criteria for public health interventions. We argue in favour of the following three criteria for public health priority setting: benefit, resources and improving the well-being of the worse off. We argue that benefits and priority to the worse off may reasonably be understood in terms of individual well-being, rather than only health, for public health priority setting. We argue that lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic support our conclusions.

Keywords: COVID-19, Prioritarianism, Priority Setting, Public Health, Severity

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Author Biographies

Sindre A. Horn, University of Bergen

Research Fellow, Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting (BCEPS), Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, and Guest Researcher, Centre for Medical Ethics (CME), Department of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo.

Mathias Barra, Akershus University Hospital

Senior Researcher, HØKH – Health Services Research Unit, Akershus University Hospital, and Senior Researcher, BCEPS, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen.

Ole Frithjof Norheim, University of Bergen

Professor and director of Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting (BCEPS), Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, and Adjunct Professor at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University.

Carl Tollef Solberg, University of Oslo

Senior Researcher, Centre for Medical Ethics (CME), Department of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, and Senior Advisor, Division for Infection Control and Environmental Health – management and staff, Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

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Published

2021-12-20

How to Cite

Horn, S. A., Barra, M., Norheim, O. F., & Solberg, C. T. (2021). Public health priority setting: A case for priority to the worse off in well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic . Etikk I Praksis - Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics, 15(2), 5-15. https://doi.org/10.5324/eip.v15i2.4097

Issue

No. 2 (2021)

Section

Artikler - Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2021 Sindre A. Horn, Mathias Barra, Ole Frithjof Norheim, Carl Tollef Solberg

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