Rule on ending life-sustaining treatment to be more practical
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Medical staffers at Yonsei Severance Hospital in Seoul watch a 77-year-old woman, who had been vegetative, before ceasing life-sustaining treatment following a Supreme Court ruling to do so, in this 2009 photo. Since the case, the nation introduced a law on halting life-sustaining treatment for terminally ill patients, and an eased rule will take effect next March. Korea Times file
By Jung Hae-myoung
The regulation on ending life-sustaining treatment for terminally ill patients will be eased next year to become more practical, narrowing the scope of “family consent” required for approval of the cessation.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Sunday, the National Assembly recently passed the revision to the law to allow patients to end medical treatment after getting consent from their spouse, parents and children only. The new regulation will take effect on March 28 next year.
Under the current law, the life-sustaining treatment of an unconscious patient can be halted when all of the patient's lineal family members consent to it, including spouse, parents, children and grandchildren. If one member of the family is not in reach, the patient has to continue “unnecessary medical treatment” against their will.
“During the three-month test period of the regulation, the hardest part was to get all of the family members together and collect their signatures,” said Heo Dae-seog, a professor of Seoul National University Hospital. “In the long run, practical guardians should be able to make decisions for the patients and not just people with legal family ties.”
Currently, halting life-sustaining treatment is available only for terminally ill patients with low chance of survival. Besides consent from all family members, it can be stopped if the patient in advance has filled out a letter of intent against such treatment, or when at least two family members testify the patient had not wanted such life-extending treatment before falling unconscious.
The ministry will also expand the scope of “unnecessary medical treatment” that can be stopped for terminally ill patients who don't want it.
Only four medical treatments can be stopped for now ― cardiopulmonary resuscitation, using a respirator, hemodialysis and administering anticancer drugs ― which are performed only to extend the life of a patient but offer no other effect or cure. The government plans to include additional treatments such as using extracorporeal life support for the heart or lungs, blood transfusions, and the use of vasopressors.
Since the law took in effect in February, 20,742 patients chose to stop the life-prolonging treatments as of Oct. 3. Of them, 33.3 percent ceased the treatment after directly writing their intention not to use life-sustaining measures.
Still, in 66.3 percent of cases, the treatment was stopped with the consent of family members because the patients had no time to disclose their own intention before falling unconscious, indicating it was necessary for the government to ease regulations on getting family approval.
The law was established to give patients the right to die with dignity and cease meaningless life-prolonging medical treatment.