Implementing the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling of right to die with dignity for ill patients, The Karnataka Health Department has implemented the apex court’s order. This policy only applies to those who have no chance of recovery and are on life support.
This process will be held only if the patient’s family agrees and requests the court to do so.
The court will approve and decide each case, following the rules. The rules have a two-step medical review process.
First, the primary board of three doctors will assess the patient’s condition. Secondly, the secondary board, with three doctors and one government-appointed doctor, will review the reports and send them to the court for the permission.
Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao wrote on X, “This will immensely benefit those who are terminally ill with no hope of recovery or are in a persistent vegetative state, and where the patient no longer benefits from life-sustaining treatment. We have also come out with an Advance Medical Directive (AMD), or a living will, in which a patient can record their wishes for their medical treatment in the future. This important step will bring great relief and a dignified sense of closure to many families and individuals.”
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