Should we help those who harm others? Let me make things harder for you. Should we help those who hurt themselves? A self-inflicted disease. An illness caused by a person's behavior and decisions. Imagine the scene: it's a hot summer afternoon. Jack is sitting in his back garden, reading the newspapers. Emily is too. Neither Jack nor Emily are aware of each other's existence and they sunbathe. You see, we don't often have weather like this in Scotland. In fact, they spend a lot of time inside, regardless of the weather. Both Jack and Emily have lung cancer. However, a donor is available. Both patients are in desperate need of a transplant. Jack needs it more than Emily, but she's closer to the top of the waiting list. You would most likely choose Jack: the person who needs it the most. But what if you discovered that the cause of Jack's condition is that he smokes up to 20 cigarettes a day? Would you still be willing to donate your lungs to him? Or would you opt for Emily? His cancer comes from an inherited gene. Would this change your opinion? Should that change your opinion? It could be argued that Jack's tumor was self-inflicted by his bad decisions. This would suggest that Emily is more deserving of the transplant, as her cancer was caused by a factor outside of her control. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayWho would you choose? The definition of “self-inflicted illness” is a little nebulous. Some would say it is a self-caused disease. On the other hand, do self-harm and alcoholism fall under this definition? Or is all this due to a mental illness that cannot be controlled? You could even say that injuries caused by a car accident due to lack of concentration or driving at a ridiculous speed are a self-inflicted disease. The National Health Service was established to provide a good healthcare service accessible to all, regardless of their wealth. The original three NHS values ​​demonstrate that it will meet everyone's needs, that it will be free at the point of delivery and that it will be based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Now, if the NHS took into account their own values ​​and Jack and Emily's story, it would be fair to say that they chose Emily because she is closer to the top of the waiting list and the cause of her cancer shouldn't matter. If however, the NHS decided to choose Jack, would they follow their principles? One in 10 people don't think someone who has abused alcohol should have a liver transplant on the NHS, and 52% think the NHS shouldn't fund an illness if it was due to smoking. Returning to the values ​​of the National Health Service; by not funding patients with self-inflicted illnesses, it means that all three of their core values ​​are destroyed and not enforced. However, in 2014 more than 1.4 million people used drug and alcohol services, including rehabilitation, which cost the NHS £136 million. Recently, there have been reports that the NHS has been in financial difficulty and, with millions of patients it is dealing with, should self-inflicted patients foot the bill? Please note: this is just an example. Get a customized document from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay The NHS cares for over 1 million patients every 36 hours. It's a number.