Dela Peña, James Daryl L.

Managerial Economics
BSA – 1A

WHAT IS ECONOMICS REALLY ABOUT?

Scarcity, Choice, Opportunity Cost in the Health Sector

A hospital in a town has one dialysis machine that can run for 30 hours per week. As the boss of the
hospital, you must decide who gets the treatment.

Decide how you will allocate the 30 hours, in order of preference.

1. Patient A (6-year-old awaiting kidney transplant): Prioritizing this child due to their young age and the
likelihood of a future kidney transplant is the ethically responsible choice, as it offers them the best chance for
a healthy future.

2. Patient K (65-year-old who promised to buy another machine): As this patient has promised to buy an extra
dialysis machine if he survives, granting them machine time could benefit future patients.However, this
outcome depends on whether the patient survives or not.

3. Patient J (45-year-old with a pending kidney transplant): Patient J is getting a kidney transplant in six
months. Giving him priority means he might only need the machine for a little while because he won't need it
after the transplant.

4. Patient G (30-year-old female with young children): Considering her responsibilities as a mother, allocating
machine time to ensure her well-being is important for her family's sake.

5. Patient H (30-year-old male with young children): Considering his role as a father, providing machine time
is important for his family's stability.

6. Patient B (55-year-old married with grown-up children): Although older, he should receive treatment due to
his ongoing need and relatively lower age compared to other older patients.

7. Patient D (78-year-old female): While age is a factor, providing some treatment is important due to her
ongoing need and respecting her life.

8. Patient F (8-year-old child): Young age and ongoing treatment need make this child a priority.

9. Patient E (7-year-old child with siblings): I’ll Prioritize this child due to their young age and family
dynamics.

10. Patient C (3-year-old child) I’ll allocate some time for this child due to their young age.

11. Patient I (30-year-old male with no children) I’ll Allocate remaining time to this patient due to their
relatively stable condition compared to others on the list.

I aim to balance medical need, potential for improvement, and ethical considerations with this order.