The Health Ministry said Sunday that it would relax regulations on ending unnecessary life-prolonging treatment to help patients better prepare for their death, starting March 28.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that it will revise the law on stopping life-sustaining treatment to allow ending such treatment when the spouse, parents and children agree to it.
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The Ministry of Health and Welfare.(Yonhap) |
Under the current law, one of four conditions must be met for treatment aimed at prolonging the life of terminally ill patients to be ended. They are: A patient signed a form expressing his wish not to receive life-prolonging treatment while in good health; a terminally ill patient or patient near death gives written consent; the patient previously expressed a wish not to receive such treatment to at least two members of the family; or all family members, including grandchildren and great-grandchildren give consent.
The law on hospice and palliative care and decisions on life-sustaining treatment for patients facing death was enacted in February.
As of Oct. 3, 20,742 patients ended life-sustaining treatment under the law, but only 0.7 percent of the patients said to signed the statement in advance while they were in good health.
Thirty-three of the patients signed the letter of consent while the decision to end life-sustaining treatment was made by family members in 66.3 percent of the patients.
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