Health ministry comes up with new draft guidelines on passive euthanasia
Union Health Ministry. The guidelines laid out four conditions on passive euthanasia for taking a «considered decision in a patient's best interests, to stop or discontinue ongoing life support in a terminally ill disease that is no longer likely to benefit the patient or is likely to harm in terms of causing suffering and loss of dignity.»
The conditions are whether the individual has been declared brainstem death, if there is a medical prognostication and considered opinion that the patient's disease condition is advanced and not likely to benefit from aggressive therapeutic interventions, patient/surrogate documented informed refusal, following prognostic awareness, to continue life support and compliance with procedure prescribed by the Supreme Court.
The 'Draft Guidelines for Withdrawal of Life Support in Terminally Ill Patients,' also state that doctors should take a considered decision to not start a life supporting measure in a terminally ill patient that is unlikely to benefit the patient and is likely to lead to suffering and loss of dignity.
In such a case, three conditions — on whether the individual has been declared brainstem death, if there is a medical prognostication and considered opinion that the patient's disease condition is advanced and not likely to benefit from aggressive therapeutic interventions, patient/surrogate documented informed refusal, following prognostic awareness — has to be taken into account.
The Union ministry has invited feedback and suggestions from the stakeholders on
