Which type of justice involves fair compensation for injuries or wrongs in healthcare?

Compensatory justice focuses on ensuring that individuals receive fair compensation for injuries or wrongs they have suffered, particularly in the context of healthcare. This concept is critical in situations where patients experience harm due to medical errors, negligence, or other forms of wrongdoing. The goal is to restore the victim to their prior state, as much as possible, by providing monetary compensation or other forms of restitution.

In healthcare, applying compensatory justice means that when a patient's rights are violated or they suffer harm due to care received, the healthcare system has a responsibility to address that injustice by offering appropriate compensation. This aligns with broader ethical and legal principles in the field, supporting the idea that individuals impacted by faults in the system should receive the necessary support and resources to recover from their experiences.

While other forms of justice, like procedural justice or retributive justice, involve different aspects of fairness—such as the fairness of processes or punishment for wrongs—compensatory justice is specifically concerned with the principle of repairing harm through compensation. Restorative justice emphasizes repairing relationships and making amends, which, while related, is not the primary focus of providing compensation for specific injuries or wrongs.