Why did the debate arise after Harish Rana case? Know when removing ventilator is ‘murder’ and when is legal ‘death’:

New Delhi: A long wait of 13 years and an unconscious body—the recent decision of the Supreme Court in the Harish Rana case has shocked the entire country. The court has given him permission to remove the life support system, allowing ‘passive euthanasia’ (euthanasia). But this emotional decision has raised a big legal and medical question: When doctors can themselves remove the ventilator after being declared ‘brain dead’, why does a ‘coma’ patient have to go to court? Let us understand the fine line between these two conditions, which decides life and death, with the input of Dr. Daljit Singh, former HOD of Neurosurgery Department, GB Pant Hospital, Delhi.

Coma: A extinguished flame that can rekindle.

Coma is a state in which a person is deeply unconscious, but is ‘alive’.

a state of mind: The brain is not completely dead in coma. Parts of the brain continue to function, allowing the heart to beat and the lungs to breathe (often without support).

Recovery expected: Medical science believes that there is always a possibility of coming out of coma. The patient may regain consciousness after weeks, months or, like Harish Rana, even years.

Legal Status: A coma patient cannot be considered dead. Therefore, removing his life support without court permission could legally amount to ‘murder’.

Brain Death: When the engine stops completely.

Brain death is a condition that is medically and legally ‘complete death’ It is believed.

a state of mind: In this, the brain and brain stem stop working completely and irreversibly. That means there is no electrical activity left inside the brain.

Body condition: With the help of a ventilator, the heart can beat for some time and the organs can get oxygen, but the brain is dead.

Legal Status: A special board of doctors declares the person ‘brain dead’ after several tests. After this, court permission is not required to remove the ventilator, because the person has already been declared dead. In this situation ‘Organ Donation’ is possible.

How do doctors make the diagnosis?

According to Dr. Daljit Singh, doctor ‘Apnea Test’ And through many neurological tests they decide whether the patient is in coma or brain dead.

“A brain dead person is legally dead, his organs can be transplanted. But a coma patient is a ‘living’ person. Removing the ventilator in a coma is a very sensitive matter, because the chances of life there are not reduced to zero. That is why in cases like Harish Rana, the court has to intervene to ensure a dignified death.”

Legal issue: Why is court permission necessary?

in india ‘Passive Euthanasia’ There are strict guidelines regarding this. In cases of coma, only when a medical board like AIIMS certifies that there is 0% chance of improvement, the court orders removal of life support on the basis of ‘living will’ or on the request of family members. This process has been kept complex so that this law cannot be misused.