The Union Health Ministry has issued a new guideline regarding passive euthanasia, i.e. withdrawal of life support from people who are seriously ill and are alive only because of it. In the new guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health on this subject, doctors are told that they can decide to remove a patient’s life support system only after taking into account certain conditions. Let us tell you about it in detail.
The decision will be made based on these four conditions
The new guidelines from the Union Health Ministry mention four conditions based on which doctors can decide whether to withdraw life support from a sick person. The first condition is that the patient has been declared brain dead. The second condition is that the investigation reveals that the patient’s disease has reached an advanced stage and in this situation there will be no benefit from treatment. The third condition is the refusal of the patient or his family members to continue life support. The fourth and final condition is that the process of withdrawal of life support must be carried out in accordance with the guidelines set by the Supreme Court.
There is also a question of terminal illness in the project
Terminal illnesses were also mentioned in the new guidelines on passive euthanasia published by the Ministry of Health. In fact, a terminal illness is an incurable illness that poses a high risk of death in the near future. Terminal illnesses also include severe brain injuries where there is no improvement for 72 hours or more. Under the new guidelines, many of these intensive care patients are terminally ill for whom there is no prospect of any benefit from life-sustaining treatment.
What did the Indian Medical Association say?
According to Dainik Bhaskar’s report, Dr RV Ashokan, president of the Indian Medical Association, said about the new guidelines that these guidelines would bring doctors under legal scrutiny, which would increase pressure on them. He added that the Dr. always makes such clinical decisions with good intentions. He says that before doing this, the doctor explains the situation to the patient’s family members in detail and takes a decision only after considering all aspects.
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