[The Doctor] found out that memory files pertaining to an Ensign Ahni Jetal had been deleted from his program. When he confronted the crew, they reluctantly told him what had happened. Harry Kim and Jetal had been seriously injured during an away mission a few months earlier. Because The Doctor could not perform life-saving surgery on both patients simultaneously, he was forced to pick one patient, knowing that the person he was unable to treat would die. In a split-second decision, The Doctor decided to operate on Kim, thus indirectly allowing Jetal to die. Shortly after, The Doctor fell into a deep ethical crisis, questioning his decision to treat Kim and not Jetal, even though their injuries were equally fatal. He blamed himself over and over again for having been biased and helping his friend rather than Jetal, whom he was not as close to. He became caught in a loop of constantly questioning his decisions to the point where he broke down completely, unable to function. The captain decided that it would be best if the memories of Jetal and the incident be deleted. However, the truth did come out and as soon as The Doctor found out, the same pattern emerged and he found himself struggling with the same dilemma once again.
After Seven pointed out that they should not treat The Doctor like a piece of equipment but instead like the individual he had become, the captain decided that this time, instead of deleting his memories, they would stand by him and try to help him in this crisis, just as they would a friend or any other flesh-and-blood member of the crew. Janeway helped him accept his decision and realize that part of being an individual is making tough decisions and learning to live with them.