Who Gets Priority When There Are Many Casualties?

Physicians helping causalities have a big role to play in rescuing survivors and alleviating their pains. When there are a large number of causalities, medical staff should arrange their priorities according to the means at hand and the cases before them irrespective of patients gender, nationality, or age.

Sheikh `Abdul-Majeed Subh, a prominent Azhar scholar, states: In such times, you should start with the most serious cases or the ones who are likely to die if you do not help them. You should start with those persons you can rescue from death, irrespective of their age or gender. There may be a child whose case is better than that of an old person. So you should give priority to those who will die immediately if you did not give them help.

Moreover, the eminent scholar and renowned da`iyahSheikh `Abdel Khaliq Hasan Ash-Shareef states:

You should start with the most serious cases or the one whose case is in danger and you think most probably you can rescue him or her. Also, you can arrange your priorities according to the available means. For example, there may be one who needs brain surgery but you do not have the means to do it or you cannot do it, then you should give priority to others you can rescue. Or there may be some people suffering from bleeding and others whose limbs are broken. You should start with stopping the bleeding and delay treating the broken limbs.
Thus, you should arrange your priorities according the available means and the cases before you, irrespective of the victims’ nationality, religion, age, or gender.