Body promotes living will idea to ensure death with dignity
Print Edition
A NEWLY established association that advocates a living will registration has triggered a debate on death with dignity.
“The Beijing Living Will Promotion Association,” which was approved by the Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau in June, gathered more than 20 medical experts on Wednesday to discuss the necessity of living wills and to promote the idea of death with dignity.
A living will is a document that a person uses to make known his or her preferences regarding life-prolonging medical treatments in the event that they are no longer able to make decisions due to illness or are incapacitated. It is a practice deemed to show respect to patients, minimize their pain and reduce family members’ financial burdens from treatments.
As of yesterday, more than 9,000 people had registered on the association’s website.
Those registering have to answer questions such as whether he or she would accept cardiac resuscitation or organ intubation before signing the registration form.
“Applicants can alter their wills at any time,” said Hao Xinping, secretary general of the association, adding that dying with dignity is still a kind of right to life.
But there are no clinical regulations to define when doctors should stop carrying out treatment after patients are in coma or are unconscious, even if they have agreed to give up treatment in their living will.
In addition, laws or regulations have never been created to protect patients’ living wills in China, an oversight which experts believe is a potential breeding ground for doctor-patient disputes.
A survey last year revealed disputes over treatment had risen on an average by 23 percent year on year since 2002.
But experts agreed that it was necessary to popularize living will registration and legalize its implementation, as it can not only respect the patients’ wishes and bring dignity at the end of their lives, but also help reduce doctor-patient mistrust.
“We should raise thoughts and requirements in terms of dealing with the things when we are in a coma,” said Ling Feng, an expert from the Xuanwu Hospital.
Social development
Wang Zhong, deputy director of Tsinghua University Hospital, said promoting living wills is a product of social development, representing progress in society, and could help people understand death from a more scientific perspective instead of being fearful of it.
But many also expressed concerns that living wills could lead to doctors’ inactive treatment for patients with the excuse of the will.
“To continue carrying out treatment or not should depend on medical judgement,” said Ling, stressing that doctors should not stop treating with the excuse of a patient’s living will.
Hao Xinping explained that death with dignity is different from euthanasia as it is natural death and follows patients’ wishes in living wills.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
