The issue of ‘euthanasia’ i.e. passive euthanasia is once again in discussion in Mumbai. Recently, Harish Rana, who had received permission for euthanasia under the guidelines of the Supreme Court, passed away. After this incident, it came to light that in the last two years, 40 people have applied to the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for euthanasia.
In the year 2023, the Supreme Court of India gave an important decision, allowing euthanasia of serious and incurable patients with certain conditions. After this, the state government gave the responsibility of taking applications in such cases to BMC.
Under this, 40 applications have so far been submitted to the Chief Medical Officers of different areas of the city. This number shows that many people are thinking about this option.
There is no clear rule
The biggest problem is that there is no clear rule regarding what further procedure should be followed on these applications. Even after almost two years have passed, the administration has not been able to decide what action to take in which case.
There remains a lot of confusion regarding legal and technical aspects. For this reason, no final decision has been taken on even a single application till now.
Difficult questions before doctors and administration
Senior doctors say that many complex questions arise in cases of euthanasia. Like if a person applies in Mumbai, but dies in another city or state, who will take the decision?
Similarly, there are still no clear guidelines on many aspects like the patient’s condition, family consent, role of the medical board and legal investigation.
Confusion regarding digital portal also
The Urban Development Department of the government has created a digital portal to record these cases. But its use has not started yet at BMC level.
Some doctors believe that BMC should create its own separate system, while the administration says that when the government portal exists, there is no need to create a new system.
Hoping for a solution, keeping an eye on the government
In this entire matter, social activist and doctor Nikhil Datar has demanded from the government to decide on a clear procedure. He has also fought a legal battle on this subject. BMC administration has also written letters to the government several times asking for guidelines.
Now it is expected that soon clear rules will be made on this sensitive issue, so that patients and their families do not have to face uncertainty.