'Artificial Intelligence-assisted surgery is expected to shape the future of operating theatres in India.'
A 52-year-old government school teacher from Indore, who is suffering from an excruciating bone disorder that has confined her to a wheelchair, has sought President Droupadi Murmu's permission to undergo euthanasia.
"Human beings have the right to die with dignity." That's what the Supreme Court said on Friday while saying that passive euthanasia is permissible within guidelines. However, what is passive euthanasia? What is a living will? Here's all you need to know on the issue.
The government disagreed with the Law Commission recommendation, which said every "competent patient", who is suffering from terminal illness, has a right to refuse medical treatment.
In a bid to make the guidelines on "living will" more workable and less cumbersome, the Supreme Court on Tuesday removed the condition that mandated a magistrate's approval for withdrawal or withholding of life support to a terminally ill person.
A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra reserved its verdict on a plea seeking recognition of 'living will' made by a terminally-ill patient for passive euthanasia.
The apex court's 2018 order on passive euthanasia wherein it recognised the right to die with dignity as a fundamental right and an aspect of Article 21 (right to life) notwithstanding, people wanting to get a 'living will' registered have been facing problems due to cumbersome guidelines.
The draft bill allows euthanasia for patients who can take informed decisions; doctors to be protected from liability.
The bench laid down guidelines as to who would execute the will and how the nod for passive euthanasia would be granted by the medical board.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday referred the issue of legalising euthanasia in the country to a five-judge Constitution bench, saying there has been "inconsistent" opinion in its previous verdicts on withdrawing medical support to terminally ill patients.
'Doctors feel they have a duty to prolong a heartbeat at all costs.' 'And a son or a daughter feels, I can't let my mum die. I have to save her at all costs.' 'They think saving is just prolonging life. But the person suffers.'
'Passive euthanasia is actually more important in the sense that the need to administer it arises every day in some hospital or the other. And it can be administered without a living will,' Vipul Mudgal, director of the NGO Common Cause -- which had filed a plea to declare 'right to die with dignity' as a Fundamental Right flowing from Article 21 or the Right to Life, -- tells Rediff.com's Swarupa Dutt.
Kajol does the best she can with the role though it is a bit limiting. Vishal Jethwa gives the movie-crazy Venky a bright charm, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Describing the case as a "very hard one", the Supreme Court sought the Centre's response on Tuesday on a plea of a couple whose 30-year-old son has been lying in a vegetative state in a hospital since 2013 after suffering head injuries.
The Supreme Court on Friday said it will await the government's stand in its endeavour to examine a plea to legalise passive euthanasia by means of withdrawal of life support system to terminally-ill patients.
'A policy that covers a wider range of diseases will offer greater peace of mind.'
Death is a reality of life and yet we shy away from talking about it openly, observes Aarti David.
Altogether 35 children have died at Kolkata's state-run B C Roy Children's Hospital in the last five days.
Medieval heroes, cursed heroes, monsters, scamsters, there's no dearth of action on OTT this week, Sukanya Verma tells us.
Rediff.com digs into its archives, tracking down Dr M R Rajagopal's sincere efforts of changing lives and changing the way India looks at palliative care.
Using a Living Will, individuals can specify that they don't want any resuscitation if the death is apparent.
Depression can be classified as a serious illness, especially in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Gujarat high court has observed, while setting aside the cancellation of registration and admission of an engineering student by a government college for not appearing for requisite exams due to depression and suicidal thoughts.
'Healthcare is so expensive that while it saves lives, it destroys more lives socially and financially.' 'While the poor gets wiped out, a middle-class man goes to a corporate hospital and after the treatment, he ends up below the poverty line.' 'Generally, hospitals would like to have patients who need procedures and operations.' 'They are not so fond of palliative care.' 'How much can be made from one hour of counselling? And how much can be made from one hour of an operation?'
Counted as a judge who enriched the 'verdict docket' of the apex court, Justice Chandrachud is viewed as sharp, articulate and forward looking.
'We have struggled to pay the rent, we have struggled to pay the electricity bill, we have struggled to send them to school, to buy books and uniforms but there was food on the table every day!'
The 606 positive cases includes 43 foreign nationals, the ministry said. On Tuesday, the number of cases was 519.
'Aruna Shanbaug's death has again opened up the euthanasia conversation in the public domain. For a health care discourse often dominated by inane news, this is not such a bad thing.'
Follow these steps diligently to ensure that there isn't any hardship when your parents fall ill
As Indrani, Sanjeev Khanna and Peter pass cupboard no 6 -- where the skull is stored -- what thoughts pass through their mind?
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