Fri Jan 31 22:45:26 IST 2025: ## Karnataka Allows “Living Wills” for Medical Treatment Decisions
**Bengaluru, January 31, 2025** – Karnataka residents can now legally document their end-of-life medical preferences through Advance Medical Directives (AMDs), commonly known as “living wills.” The state’s Health Department issued a circular outlining the process, allowing adults to specify desired treatments or those to be avoided. Patients can also nominate two individuals to make decisions on their behalf if they lose decision-making capacity.
The AMDs can be maintained in paper or digital health records. The state is considering integrating them into digital health records and proposing a national, unique identifier system (potentially using Aadhaar or ABHA numbers) to prevent misuse and ensure accessibility even across state lines. This proposal will be submitted to the Chief Secretary.
Medical professionals have largely welcomed the move. Dr. Sundar Sankaran, a nephrologist, highlighted the importance of respecting patient autonomy, especially when family members may be hesitant to forgo treatment. Dr. Nagesh Simha, of Karunashraya Hospice Trust, lauded the initiative as a significant step toward ensuring dignified deaths, praising Karnataka for setting a precedent. However, he emphasized the need to expand the panel of doctors involved in reviewing such directives. Dr. Vishal Rao U.S., a surgical oncologist, stressed the need for better training and certification of doctors involved in determining brain death, particularly in district-level hospitals. The Health Department’s move follows a Supreme Court order and builds upon a similar initiative in Kerala.
First Piper 