NEED TO BALANCE CARE AND CHOICE

In recent years, there has been active debate on whether health-care should be focused on saving lives or the quality of life. This debate has only gathered pace after the Supreme Court, in a historic verdict in 2018, allowed for 'passive euthanasia' while recognising the right of patients to make advance directives or 'living wills'. The verdict enabled terminally ill patients to refuse life support if their condition was found to be incurable, thereby saving them months, perhaps even years, of a life filled with pain and no hope of a cure or relief in sight.

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The India Today Conclave brought together an eclectic mix of experts to discuss the legal, medical and spiritual aspects of an individual’s right to die with dignity. “To not let a person who has lived with dignity die with dignity, I think is very unfortunate,” said Supreme Court lawyer Nisha Bhambhani. But Dr Sanjeev Bagai, Chairman, Nephron Clinics, had a word of caution: “This law is liable to be blatantly misused in various