Home / Health / Maharashtra Private Hospitals to Implement 'Living Will' Framework
Maharashtra Private Hospitals to Implement 'Living Will' Framework
17 Jul
Summary
- Private hospitals in Maharashtra will form medical boards for end-of-life decisions.
- Framework follows Supreme Court's March 2026 judgment on living wills.
- Primary and secondary medical boards are mandatory for life-sustaining treatment withdrawal.
The Maharashtra government has established a framework for primary and secondary medical boards within private hospitals. This initiative aims to implement Supreme Court directives concerning end-of-life decisions and the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments for terminally ill patients, often referred to as 'living wills'.
The framework, detailed in a Government Resolution from the state public health department, directly follows the Supreme Court's March 11, 2026, judgment in the Harish Rana case. This landmark decision permitted the withdrawal of life support based on an individual's advance directive.
Previously, such boards were constituted in government hospitals. The new resolution extends this mechanism to private healthcare facilities, mandating approval from both primary and secondary medical boards before treatment withdrawal can proceed.
Primary medical boards will be internally constituted within hospitals, comprising the hospital's leadership and treating medical experts. Secondary medical boards will be established under district civil surgeons, with additional external experts to ensure comprehensive review and adherence to the Supreme Court's guidelines on passive euthanasia and advance directives.
