Mumbai|HL Correspondent
Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry asked from general public to share their views and comments on the Euthanasia (good death).
For the views the ministry has uploaded the draft of Bill on their website, titled Terminally III Patients (protection of patients and medical practitioners) Bill. People can share their comments via email before June 19,2016.
It took years of time to take a step on such issue, by government. As it is discussed in the judgement pertaining to nurse Aruna Shanbagh, who was raped and strangulated in Mumbai. A case was filed by her friend Pinky Virani to allow her to be euthanized.
While this draft bill on ‘passive euthanasia’ by Union government gives patients the right to “withhold or withdraw medical treatment to herself or himself” and “allow nature to take its own course”.
The bill provides protection to patients and doctors from any liability for withholding or withdrawing medical treatment and states that palliative care can continue.
As per draft it will be defend the medical practitioners from legal guilt and also permit them to offer pain relief care. A terminally ill 16-year old is enough to decide on whether to continue further treatment or allow nature to take its own course, according to a draft of the Medical Treatment of Terminally Ill Patients (Protection of Patients and Medical Practitioners) Bill.
Though, the draft not fulfilling the clarification on living will as per experts. A living will is defined as “a document in which a person states his/her desire to have or not to have extraordinary life-prolonging measures when recovery is not possible from his/her terminal condition”.
But paragraph 11 of the draft bill said that any “advance medical directive (living will) or medical power of attorney executed by the person shall be void and of no effect and shall not be binding on any medical practitioner”.
The draft also lays down the process for seeking euthanasia, right from the composition of the medical team to moving the high court for permission.
