Ethics was thrust to the heart of health and social services decisions during the pandemic. It has been and remains an essential foundation on which to rely to make difficult decisions and promote social cohesion in situations of great adversity. One of the actors in this crisis in Quebec was the COVID-19 Ethics Committee, created to respond to the urgent ethical issues faced by decision-makers. The collaboration of the province’s ethical forces contributed to the success of the work of the COVI…
Read moreEthics was thrust to the heart of health and social services decisions during the pandemic. It has been and remains an essential foundation on which to rely to make difficult decisions and promote social cohesion in situations of great adversity. One of the actors in this crisis in Quebec was the COVID-19 Ethics Committee, created to respond to the urgent ethical issues faced by decision-makers. The collaboration of the province’s ethical forces contributed to the success of the work of the COVID-19 Ethics Committee. This collaboration gave rise to the Clinical and Organizational Ethics Group in the Quebec Health and Social Services Network. This article traces the creation of these two bodies, their mandates and their achievements. The authors take a critical look at this work, the gains made, but also the challenges ahead, including the sustainability of these achievements in a health system on the cusp of major transformation.
