Critical Care ( episode ) The Doctor ' s program is taken from " Voyager " , and he is put to work on a vast hospital ship , where the twisted medical system is based on social status , rather than medical condition . Summary . Teaser . On board a large vessel , a crowded hospital ship , a trader named Gar is trying to sell medical supplies to Chellick , an administrator . Gar suggests this time he does not have any substandard merchandise , but rather an amazing little gadget , The Doctor ' s mobile emitter . He activates it , and the bewildered Doctor appears . Act One . The Doctor demands to know why he was kidnapped as Chellick negotiates a price . Then , according to an announcement , another batch of injured comes in . With some threats from Gar , and seeing all of these wounded here , The Doctor starts to help them . He finds their primitive technology almost unworkable , but does the best he can . Meanwhile , Kim and Paris return from a holographic hockey game on the , and go to The Doctor for some minor bumps and bruises . However , the hologram who responds simply asks them to state the nature of the medical emergency , scans them , and tells them to take an analgesic . He does not even listen to the long story Paris starts to tell . When the hologram ' s program is examined , it turns out to be a fake from one of his old training files . The real Doctor is missing . Captain Janeway demands to know how Gar got away with him . Neelix explains Gar spent the night in sickbay otherwise unattended , claiming to have gotten food poisoning at dinner . Lieutenant B ' Elanna Torres identifies when the training program was activated : just before Gar left " Voyager " . The captain starts the search for Gar . Neelix later explains it was his fault . Gar said his dinner was bland , so Neelix added a few spices to add flavor , not taking his physiology into account . He may have actually been ill instead of simply faking it . If he had never gone to sickbay , he would never have developed a plan to kidnap The Doctor . Janeway reassures Neelix with her experience : men like Gar will find an opportunity like that without anyone ' s help . Aboard the medical ship , The Doctor ' s abilities impress many of the medical staff , including Voje , a doctor . The Doctor offers to contact his ship for more supplies , but Voje says that establishing communications would take a lot of paperwork ; The Doctor will have to work with what he ' s given . As The Doctor continues down a line of patients waiting for proton imaging , he makes small talk with Tebbis , a mine worker who can diagnose himself correctly . The scanning device also picks up a chronic condition , however , for which Tebbis hasn ' t been treated . When The Doctor asks why , Voje tells him it ' s because Tebbis doesn ' t have a high enough TC . Chellick then shows up and informs The Doctor he has negotiated with Gar , and acquired his program . The Doctor refuses his instruction to follow him , since he is being illegally detained . The administrator explains that the allocator – their main computer – indicates his talents would be best used on Level Blue , which is a high - priority ward . The Doctor reluctantly follows , expecting to find Level Blue to be an intensive care ward . . . but instead , he finds that is luxurious compared to where he came from . . . cleaner , more spacious and there is a doctor per person instead of a doctor per dozen . Act Two . These patients , the administrator explains , have a higher treatment coefficient , and it determines the level of care they receive . It is derived through a complex formula based on the individual ' s value to society , a prioritizing system for limited resources . The Doctor doesn ' t like it at all , but that is what the Dinaali do , says Doctor Dysek , the chief of medicine . They used to be a race dying from ecological disasters . Once introduced , The Doctor wants to know what is going on in Level Red , the level above , but the administrator and the chief talk about what The Doctor will do in the third person , and ignore his complaints . Meanwhile , " Voyager " drops out of warp to find a probe emitting a false warp signature which they have followed . At this dead end , Tuvok comes up with a suggestion : Gar traded them some iridium ore with a short half - life , so he probably got it from nearby . Cross referencing sensor log s and long range scan s quickly finds an asteroid which appears to be a mining colony . When they arrive , they are hailed , and informed by an angry alien that he wants his iridium back . When Janeway says they traded it , he insists it was stolen from him . She agrees to give the iridium back – which is only half the amount Gar stole – and he in return tells her where induction unit s he also stole came from ; a planetoid called Velos . That ' s where they look next . The Doctor , meanwhile , admires the surgical technique of Doctor Dysek , and tries to get him to allow contact with " Voyager " . Dysek dryly repeats that Chellick authorizes all communications . The Doctor watches a nurse give a cytoglobin injection to a patient . She asks a console for it , it is authorized , and she administers it quickly . The Doctor asks if this patient also has the chromoviral disease , but Dysek says no , it is used to prevent arterial aging . The Doctor notes her arteries are in perfect health , and Dysek indicates it is a preventative regimen . That makes The Doctor coldly angry , because Tebbis , the boy on Level Red , would die if left untreated and yet was denied one . Dysek repeats that their society is far better off since following the allocator ' s protocols , and if Tebbis ' TC rises , he will get good treatment as well . The Doctor returns to Level Red and looks at Tebbis again . His condition has deteriorated further . Voje says it ' s because his coenzyme allotment has been reduced ; his TC is too low . The Doctor suggests they raise it ; if it is a statistical function , he can just input more data . Voje doesn ' t like it , but The Doctor talks to him about the moral imperative in medicine , and he is willing to go along . They settle on an expertise in neutronics . But when Voje inputs it , the data is rejected . Even Tebbis is willing to let The Doctor off with a clean conscience . Instead , The Doctor returns to Level Blue , and informs the nurse that one of the patients requires an additional cytoglobin injection , which he will administer himself . He instead takes it back to Level Red and , after passing dozens of dying patients , gives it to Tebbis . Act Three . Meanwhile , " Voyager " is still following Gar ' s trail . Kipp , a merchant at Velos , informs them Gar took the induction units on consignment . He was persuaded to do so by a buyer he has known for years . The buyer now knows it was a mistake . It was a suggestion from his wife , who has now left him . She says that she ran off with Gar , and is surprised to see Janeway looking for him , perhaps to steal him from her . To talk her out of this , she says Tuvok is her husband , a most unpleasant situation for Tuvok and amusing for the bridge crew . Tuvok explains that they have a business opportunity for Gar , and she says he is on his way to the gambling tournament on Selek IV . Meanwhile , Tebbis feels better . He asks why he got the cytoglobin , if The Doctor has done something wrong , and The Doctor lies . He says that he convinced Chellick to recalculate his TC , and he is now authorized for cytoglobin . The Doctor returns with more cytoglobin and asks Voje to distribute it . Voje refuses , but Tebbis volunteers . The Doctor is pleased and explains where to administer the injections . Voje helps so they will finish before they are caught . It isn ' t very long before Dysek asks The Doctor why he is prescribing unnecessary medications for his patients . The Doctor tries to explain to Dysek that the allocator distributes supplies based on the hospital ' s efficiency – in other words , if any supplies are left over in a given month , the next month ' s shipment will be correspondingly smaller . Dysek is intrigued , and when Chellick asks if there is a problem , Dysek says no ; The Doctor is learning the system well . Voje is amazed that so many of the patients here are doing well . The Doctor takes it in stride , and tells him he will arrange for other medications to also be funneled here . Tebbis is doing much better now , and he wants The Doctor to say he is still sick so he can help . If he is declared well , he will be sent back down to the mines like his father , and will never get medical training . The Doctor says he doesn ' t plan to be here long enough to teach him what he needs to know about medicine , but will see what he can do . " Voyager " finds Gar ' s ship – and bio - sign s – and drops out of warp right on top of him , latching on a tractor beam . Gar hails them , and when they demand The Doctor , he claims to know nothing . When he tries to break their tractor beam with a feedback pulse , Janeway just beams him to the brig . Meanwhile , The Doctor finds much to his dismay that Tebbis has been transferred to Level White – the morgue . Act Four . The Doctor talks to Chellick who , after requiring his patient number to find him , explains that Tebbis died of untreated secondary infection . He should have died from the chromo - virus , but someone gave him unauthorized cytoglobin injections . He knows what The Doctor has been up to . After a hot debate about medical ethics , Chellick informs The Doctor that he is restricted to Level Blue , and directly connected to the allocator , who will monitor him down to the second . Tuvok is interrogating Gar , and it is not going well . He is attempting to threaten a mind meld – " " an invasive , disturbing procedure " " – when Neelix walks in with dinner . Gar starts eating it enthusiastically . Neelix is glad that it wasn ' t his cooking that made Gar sick before , and that Gar was faking his food poisoning . Then Neelix tells Gar that the dinner is based upon Talaxian wormroot . Some people react badly . He hopes Gar won ' t feel any symptoms from it , like painful abdominal spasms . He does , and when Tuvok calls sickbay , Neelix tells him there is an antidote , but only The Doctor is allowed to administer it . This makes Gar more cooperative . When Tuvok takes Neelix aside and asks him about ethics , Neelix says there is no physiological damage – just as there isn ' t during a mind meld . Doctor Voje is working hard on a patient when one of the nurses informs him to he must prepare the patient for discharge . Voje very angrily informs him that he discharges patients at the end of the shift and that ' s not over yet . The allocator immediately orders him to Level Blue to assist Doctor Dysek in surgery . Voje arrives to find The Doctor working quickly from patient to patient . It was he who sent for Voje . He says he needs Voje to smuggle his mobile emitter away , despite the fact the twelve patients they treated are being sent home ( and will probably die ) . He manages to persuade him seconds before the allocator deactivates him . Shortly after The Doctor begins working on Level Red , Chellick considers him too much trouble and attempts to deactivate him . The Doctor swings Chellick around and injects him with the chromo - virus and blood factors from Tebbis . The Doctor plans a new lesson in empathy by making Chellick a patient on Level Red . Act Five . When the allocator scans Chellick , it reads Tebbis , to whom it begins denying medication . The Doctor demands the supply of cytoglobin being used as a preventative treatment be used instead to treat every patient on this level . Meanwhile , " Voyager " finally finds the ship and The Doctor ' s program . Unfortunately , Torres can ' t get a lock , because The Doctor ' s program has been interfaced with the hospital ship ' s computer . When the ship is hailed , the allocator answers and states that Administrator Chellick is unavailable , and he is the only one authorized to speak with alien species . As The Doctor continues to examine Chellick , Dysek shows up . Chellick orders him to administer cytoglobin , but Dysek cannot do that , because it is not authorized for Level Red patients . Dysek is not in league with The Doctor , but his insights into the system are something he finds profound , such as resource allocations for Level Blue . One way to increase those allocations , The Doctor suggests , would be to move several of the Level Red patients – including Chellick – to Level Blue . Chellick agrees , just as Chakotay and Torres beam inside . Once back on " Voyager " , The Doctor tries to come to terms with his actions at the hospital . He gives Seven of Nine a clean bill of health during a routine scan but , before she leaves , he asks her to perform a check - up on his own program . Seven asks if there is something wrong and The Doctor replies that there is not – he only wants a routine check given that he has been off the ship for an extended period of time and interfaced with an alien computer . Seven reports that all of his systems are within acceptable parameters . The Doctor then requests that she specifically examine his ethical subroutines and admits his ulterior motive for the check - up . He explains that he intentionally poisoned a man in the interest of saving dozens of patients , an action that Seven appreciates and likens to the Borg philosophy of sacrificing individual concerns for those of a collective . The Doctor expresses that he does not wish to aspire to Borg ideals . Seven examines his ethical subroutines one last time but advises him that , unfortunately , she must also give him a clean bill of health . Memorable quotes . " " I ' m not about to perform medical services for a pair of common thieves ! " " " " I thought you were withholding your services . . . " " " " Fortunately for these patients , I am programmed with the Hippocratic Oath . " " " " Everyone ' s assuming he faked his illness – but I might ' ve really made him sick ! " " " " It ' s not as if your cooking turned him into a thief . " " " " No . . . but if he hadn ' t gone to sickbay , he may never have come up with a plan to kidnap The Doctor – much less had the opportunity to do it . " " " " In my experience , Neelix , men like Gar have no trouble finding opportunities to take advantage of other people . " " " " Level Blue is your critical care area , I presume . . . " " " " Level Blue is the area where it ' s most critical that we provide excellent care . " " " " When you got sick last time , I thought my food was to blame – until I realized it was just a . . . ruse for you to get close to The Doctor . I used Talaxian wormroot as the base . . . I ' m glad you like it . Some people react badly . . . " " ( Obviously beginning to ) " " React " how ? ! ? ! " " " Oh , dear , I hope you ' re not getting sick . . . if it ' s the wormroot , it ' s . . . gonna get a lot worse " " " " What ' ve you done to me ? ! ? ! " " ( Mockingly ) " " The usual symptoms , are . . . abdominal spasms , which increase in severity for thirty hours . . . forty at the most . . . It ' s not fatal – horribly unpleasant , but . . . there ' s an antidote . " " ( In agony ) " " Then give it to me ! ! ! " " " " Unfortunately , our " doctor " is the only one authorized to administer it . " " " " Your actions are not only against regulations . . . " " " " Didn ' t I hear someone threaten a mind - meld ? " " " " I was merely trying to encourage the suspect to be more forthcoming . " " ( Looking over at Gar ) " " I think he ' s getting all the " encouragement " he needs ! " " " " I ' m making you a patient in your own hospital ! " " " " I want enough cytoglobin to cure " every " infected patient on this level ! " " " " We don ' t have an adequate supply . . . " " " " There ' s " plenty " on Level Blue ! " " " " Where it ' s being used to prevent arterial aging . " " ( Furiously ) " " Those people will survive without it . But a dozen people on this level won ' t – I will " NOT " let them die ! " " " " That feeling you get from healing someone – infectious , isn ' t it ? " " " " It ' s not " that " , it ' s just . . . I already have a man . " " " " You were hoping your behavior was the result of a malfunction . I ' m sorry , Doctor , but I must give you a clean bill of health . " " Links and references . References . agricultural engineer ; allocator ; amendment ; analgesic ; anesthizine ; antigen ; asteroid ; Ayala ; brig ; Chief of Medicine ; chromovirus ; class T nebula ; coenzyme ; cortical bypass ; cytogenic ; cytoglobin ; dilithium ; Dinaali ; Dralian ; Dralian vessel ; dysplasia ; ethical subroutine ; ethics ( aka ethical standards ) ; expired ; Federation ; feedback pulse ; food poisoning ; Gammadan Mining Facility ; gas pains ; gesture ; healer ; high stick ; Hippocratic Oath ; hockey ; hockey stick ; Hospital Ship 4 - 2 ; hypospray ; ice skates ; induction unit ; ion trail ; iridium ; irrigation ; Jye ; leech ; level ( Level Blue / Level Green / Level Red / Level White / Level Yellow ) ; logic ; Nausicaan ; Nausicaan guard ; necrobiosis ; neural blocker ; neural monitor ; neutronics ; osteal extravasation ; poison , proto - humanoid ; proton imaging ; red alert ; rule of law ; salesman ; Selek IV ; selenide ; statistics ; Talaxian wormroot ; Telsian ; third person ; tractor beam ; treatment coefficient ; Velos ; viremia ; Vulcan mind meld ; warp signature ; waste processor