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AIIMS Begins Passive Euthanasia for 10-Year Vegetative Patient
17 Mar
Summary
- AIIMS started passive euthanasia for a patient in a permanent vegetative state.
- The patient has been unresponsive for over a decade following a 2013 fall.
- Supreme Court granted permission for the procedure after medical board approvals.
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has commenced the process for passive euthanasia for Harish Rana, 32, who has been in a permanent vegetative state for over ten years. The Supreme Court granted permission for this procedure on Wednesday. Rana, who sustained critical head injuries in 2013, has shown no neurological improvement since.
AIIMS is now initiating the required approval from two medical boards, a necessary step under Indian law for passive euthanasia and living wills. These boards must confirm the patient meets the criteria before life support, including feeding tube sustenance, can be withdrawn.
Rana was transferred to AIIMS' palliative care center on March 15, as ordered by the court. Medical experts explain that passive euthanasia involves withdrawing life-sustaining treatments after certification by medical boards, allowing nature to take its course in irreversible conditions.
