This means that, on occasion, certain services will not be available in a particular location. However, even though the service might be provided by another hospital in another area, the hospital administration has not acted unethically by making a different choice. Neither is a physician morally guilty for not providing treatment that is available in one setting but not in another. Likewise, a physician would be acting unethically only if he did not inform the administration of the needs of his patients and did not do his best to see these needs met. But that is all he can do.
Ethical conduct is the best defence against successful lawsuits.
Acting ethically does not mean providing all possible health care modalities, but it does mean practising in the best way possible within the limits of the situation. It does not mean that each province must insure all possible treatments or that every hospital must offer every treatment. It means merely that each province must take reasonable steps to ensure that all qualified residents have equal opportunity of access, and that hospitals may not discriminate among clients for medically inappropriate reasons. These conditions can be met by providing ambulance and transfer services. Inevitably, this will lead to negative outcomes for some patients.