Hospitals have to set up approval committees for considering cases of passive euthanasia, and any distortion of facts before such panels may lead to a maximum of 10 years in jail and a fine of up to ₹1 crore, a redrafted bill states.
The panels will decide on applications of ‘living will’, a written document that allows patients to explicitly state their desire against life-prolonging measures when recovery is not possible from a terminal condition.
The redrafted bill also provides for palliative care to patients even if they have opted for passive euthanasia, which is the withdrawal of medical treatment and life support system of a terminally-ill patient.
The “Management of Patients with Terminal Illness-Withdrawal of Medical Life Support Bill” states that all super-speciality hospitals should have approval committees on passive euthanasia which will decide on the applications for the execution of a ‘living will’.“It also calls for imprisonment of 5-10 years and a fine of ₹20 lakh to ₹1 crore in case of misrepresentation of facts or placing forged documents before the approval committees,” provisions of the redrafted bill state.
‘No active euthanasia’
A senior Health Ministry official clarified that the redrafted bill did not encourage active euthanasia.
“All provisions of the bill only support passive euthanasia. Passive euthanasia involves giving the right to patients to withhold medical treatment or life support system in the face of an irreversible terminal illness, while active euthanasia is the acceleration of death using injections or overdose of drugs,” he said.
The bill provided for palliative care which meant while the medication or medical care would be withdrawn, the family or the hospital staff would continue to take care of the patients in terms of providing nursing care to give relief from pain, physical stress and maintaining cleanliness among others, the official explained.
The redrafted bill terms death from passive euthanasia a ‘natural death’.
