Starting with the duty of Governments to provide adequate resources for the establishment and development of health services, this paper draws on experiences in four developed countries to illustrate the problems and their outcomes. The examples chosen demonstrate the contrast in philosophies and approach to resource allocation for health care.
The author reviews the legal theory and practice of the requirements for informed consent. He uses a discussion of relevant cases and judgements from courts in the UK, USA, Australia and Malaysia to illustrate apparently conflicting attitudes exemplified by these cases. From this he aims to form some consensus in their application to everyday practice.