Whether terminally ill patients should be kept alive with life supports or whether they should be allowed an end of the suffering has been a question of debate for long enough now. Death is obviously something that none of us want to face. But it is one of the primary realities of life- probably the only truth we know that will surely take place in our lives. Definitely attempting suicide is absolutely unacceptable but what to do when you see your near and dear ones suffering endlessly and you know only death can bring relief?
The Supreme Court asked the Centre a few months ago whether a terminally ill person, medically diagnosed to be in the last stages of life, could be kept alive on life support system even though it is against the will of the concerned? A bench of five jury members felt that it is nothing but torture for the patient and on the other hand drains the family financially.
The ventilation system is now like a raging business among the hospitals and nursing homes. Once you put the patient inside ventilation we the medically illiterate folks just stand pressing ourselves against the glass of the room without the slightest idea of what to hope for. We definitely want our family member to be with us for as long as long as possible. But how many of us have the financial ability to spend lakhs each day without the assurance of any definitive results.
I myself have encountered families who have even went to the extent of selling every last thing from the household just to maintain the life support system of their dying or already dead members. Since us, the common folks are partially literate or illiterate about the medical procedures we are like the sacrificial animals to the hospital authorities.
Most of the time in the local hospitals and nursing homes you will find that the attendants behave quite rudely with patients, the senior patients are not taken care of properly , often they get bedsores due to the lack of cleanliness within the cabins which sad and disappointing. We depend on the doctors and hospital authorities to take the beat care of our dear ones- actually that is the whole idea of a hospital, the facilities which we cannot provide in our houses will be provided in a better equipped place named ‘hospital’. But when you see those becoming just buildings extorting money from you, you tend to ask yourself what care my patient will get here.
Saving people’s life is noble but this too has become a business nowadays. And the idea of this life support system is terrifying. The little that I know biological science, bringing back a person from comma is rare and very often possible in Hindi serials. The suffering that a patient goes through becomes unbearable to see. If a patient pleas for death rather than the bodily suffering I think it wise and practical to grant that wish. I have seen patients with terminal disease like cancer who have lost all interest in life- for them chemo becomes equivalent to some curse, the chemo is carried out because the other members of the family want his or her revival.
I personally feel it is unethical to keep a person alive in spite of knowing the fact that it is painful for the patient. We who pray day and night for the recovery never go through the physical pain therefore we can never impose our wish of their survival when the person concerned does not want to survive. Life support system is a good business opportunity for the hospital authorities today, most of the time it is like eyewash and a clever technique to make bills of lakhs. We, who stand on the other side of the room can rarely make a firm decision as deep down somewhere we want our loved ones to survive. But, it should be the decision of the patient whether he or she wants to survive. Respect should be given to their decision. Obviously the hospitals and nursing homes are not open for charity but they too should abide by some ethics as they connect themselves with a noble job at the end of the day.
