Heroes or cowards: healthcare workers’ autonomy right versus patient care duties during the COVID-19 pandemic

摘要

Since the advent of COVID-19 spread, humankind has become helpless and hopeless in the face of this tragic pandemic that has claimed the lives of numerous people worldwide. Moreover, no one still knows when and how this crisis will end (1, 2). Healthcare Workers (HCW), referred to by social media and governments as health advocates, have been rescuing and protecting many lives during this pandemic. Because HCWs and medical staff, like other members of human society, are entitled to human rights including the right to health, many ethical controversies and dilemmas arose about the HCWs’ role as heroes or cowards in this crisis (3). Such controversies need to be appropriately addressed as this pandemic will not be the last health disaster to face.