State Implements Apex Court's Directive for Patients' 'Right to Die' with Dignity

The Karnataka health department has issued orders to implement the Supreme Court's 2023 directive regarding a patient's right to die with dignity, becoming the first state to do so.

- HT Correspondent

BENGALURU:

In orders issued on Thursday, the health department appointed medical experts to the secondary medical board to decide when life-sustaining treatment can be stopped for terminally ill patients.

Making the announcement on Friday, state health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said in a post on X: "My Karnataka Health Department, @DHFWKA, passes a historic order to implement the Supreme Court's directive for a patient's Right to Die with dignity." The department has also come out with an Advance Medical Directive (AMD), or a living will, in which a patient can record their wishes about their medical treatment in the future, he said.

This important step, the minister said, will bring great relief and a dignified sense of closure to many families and individuals. "Karnataka is a progressive state and we are always at the forefront in upholding liberal and equitable values for a more and just society," he said.