Rationing and life-saving treatments: should identifiable patients have higher priority?

Health care systems across the world are unable to afford the best treatmen t for all patients in all situations. Choices have to be made. One key ethi cal issue that arises for health authorities is whether the principle of th e "rule of rescue" should be adopted or rejected. According to this princip le more funding should be available in order to save lives of identifiable, compared with unidentifiable, individuals. Six reasons for giving such pri ority to identifiable individuals are considered. All are rejected. It is c oncluded that the principle of the rule of rescue should not be used in det ermining the allocation of health resources.