The Instinct to Save: Thomistic Healthcare Decision-Making
5th February: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm GMT
A Thomistic case for the rule of rescue as a normative principle in healthcare allocation decision-making
The rule of rescue (RR) describes the tendency in healthcare to prioritise treatment for identified patients facing severe immediate need over prevention benefiting unidentified/statistical lives. It is criticised by health economists for preventing cost-effective healthcare allocation. Accordingly, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), one of the chief bodies guiding the commissioning of NHS services, rules out RR as a principle for healthcare allocation – even though this goes against the deep instincts of most healthcare professionals. Using the philosophical and theological framework of Thomas Aquinas, this talk makes the case for RR as a normative principle for healthcare allocation decision-making.
Registration is required for this online seminar. Everyone is welcome.
Dr Joseph Kwon is a Senior Researcher in Health Economics at Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford. He holds a Doctorate in Health Economics and a Master’s degree in Theology. His health economics research spans dementia, frailty, end-of-life care, long covid, mental health, preterm birth and childhood health measurement. Since August 2025, he has been seconded to NICE’s Science Policy & Research team to represent the national Mental Health Mission. He is interested in the theological ethics of healthcare allocation.
Contact:
Las Casas Institute
lascasas@bfriars.ox.ac.uk