Previous
Case 1 - Part 1
You are a first year medical student living in a developing country while completing a 4 week global health observership. The following scenario occurs during your second week at the hospital you are working at. Please reflect on what you learned during pre-departure training, particularly the small group ethics cases, and thoughtfully answer the following questions based on the provided scenario.
Following morning rounds, a 6 year old child presents in the emergency department with a deep laceration on her arm. While the attending is examining the wound, several trauma victims are brought into the emergency department. The attending instructs you to clean and suture the wound and immediately leaves the room to care for the trauma victims. Last week, you practiced cleaning wounds and did a few sutures with one of the attendings supervising. Since all the doctors and nurses are busy with the trauma, you decide to start by cleaning the wound. You ask the nurse for a sterilized drape and suture kit. He informs you that the family must pay $10 for the medical supplies. Through a translator, you explain to the family that the supplies will cost $10. The father tells you that he walked, carrying the child, for 2 hours this morning from their village to bring the child to the hospital and that he has no money to pay for the medical care. The father asks you to pay for the medical supplies. What do you do?