A few years ago my brother had a dangerous infection in his lower leg. It was one of those superbugs, that could lead to amputation, or worse, if it got into the bloodstream. But his doctor, the head of the hospital and this kind of disease, couldn't get him into the hospital to have surgery because there were no openings, they were booked solid. I flew to Alberta, where he and his family live, and finally one day the specialist told my brother just to go to the emergency room and he would find a way to get him admitted and into surgery. So early the next morning we headed to ER. It was packed, with about fifty people in chairs, and the hallways were full of people in gurneys and wheelchairs, waiting to be admitted. Around 7 pm that night, his doctor figured out a way to get him admitted. Surgery was planned for the next morning. But he kept getting bumped because of other emergencies that showed up during the intervening time. At one point, it was around 4 p.m. and the nurses said it was a go. But then she returned, and unfortunately, there had been a bank robbery and the thieves were shot, and so my brother's surgery was bumped because one of the thief was close to death and needed the surgery. Finally, at 7 pm, they came and told him it was his turn and he went off to surgery. Fortunately, they didn't have to amputate his leg, they cut deep into the leg and he lost a fair amount of muscle, etc., but his life was saved and the superbug didn't get into his bloodstream, at least not yet, since it will always live in his body, hopefully dormant.
My point in sharing this story is that the professional medical staff in the hospital did not prioritize anyone because of their choices, but because of the greatest need to save life. Which is how it should be.
