By Manjiri Joshi News18
A Mumbai-based private hospital has launched a dedicated clinic to help individuals make informed decisions about their future medical care in case of serious or unforeseen health circumstances.
P D Hinduja Hospital & Medical Research Centre (MRC) in Mahim recently launched a ‘Living Will Clinic’ what it said was a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country. Under the initiative, Hinduja Hospital said on Monday it will help patients in preparing legal documents that will enable individuals to outline their preferences for medical treatment in serious or unforeseen health circumstances, ensuring they retain control over future healthcare decisions.
What is a living will?
A living will is a legal document that lets a person state their wishes about medical treatment in case they become unable to communicate or make decisions due to illness or incapacity (such as being in a coma or suffering from advanced dementia).
It allows you to…
Outline what kind of life-sustaining treatments you want or don’t want, such as:
Mechanical ventilation
Feeding tubes
CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)
Palliative care or pain relief only
When is a living will used?
A living will only takes effect if you are:
Unable to make decisions
Terminally ill or permanently unconscious, depending on the laws in your country/state.
What will the clinic do?
The clinic will help individuals articulate and document their healthcare preferences through a legally recognised ‘living will‘, ensuring their decisions are known and respected, even if they may be unable to communicate them later during their medical treatment, the hospital said in a statement.
“A living will can be made by anyone above the age of 18 years who wishes to receive medical treatment according to their preferences at a time when they are unable to make these decisions for themselves. It can be made by healthy individuals as well as individuals with chronic illness or a life- threatening disease,” P D Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre Consultant, Palliative Medicine, Dr Smriti Khanna told PTI.
However, she clarified that the document can be changed or even cancelled any time before it is implemented.
“You have to go through the same process of making the living will again (if cancelled) as you did previously. Each time you make a new living will, you must inform your medical team, family, (person holding) medical powers of attorney and also send a copy to the local authority (municipal corporation or panchayat as the case may be),” she maintained.
“Our healthcare system currently lacks preparedness for situations where patients are unable to communicate for themselves. In such cases, families are forced to make difficult decisions without knowing what their loved one would have wanted. The Living Will Clinic helps individuals in taking charge of their decisions in advance by explaining their options, documenting their wishes, and designating someone they trust to take the right decision on their behalf,” Hospital and MRC Section Head, Neurology, Dr Roop Gursahani, said.
What the law says
According to a 2018 Supreme Court order, one should nominate at least two persons — a family member, a trusted friend or colleague — who can take healthcare decisions on behalf of the patient.
These nominees, above 18 years, will be consulted about health decisions when the living will gets implemented. They should understand the patients’ wishes and preferences, and preferably should be geographically close to be able to reach the hospital soon in case of an emergency, said Khanna.
With PTI Inputs