Euthanasia: HC directs medical panel to examine 9-yr-old boy

The Madras High Court on Monday directed a medical expert committee to examine a nine-year-old boy, whose father had made a plea for his passive euthanasia.

The team consisting of three experts was directed by the court to report whether the persistent vegetative state criteria was fulfilled and if there was any scope for the boy's treatment.

The court had earlier appointed a three-member independent panel to suggest experts to examine the boy.

When the petition came up before a division bench, comprising Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice S Baskaran, the panel suggested the names of the experts.

They included Dr N Thilothammal, professor of paediatric neurology (retd), Dr T Ravichandran, Director, Institute of Social Paediatrics-Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital, and Dr Bala Ramachandran, Chief, Paediatric Critical Care Unit, Kanchi Kamakoti Childs Trust Hospital, Chennai.

Approving the committee, the bench directed the Director, Tamil Nadu Government Multi-Super Speciality Hospital, Omandurar Government Estate, to provide all facilities for testing the child and provide other facilities to the experts.

It directed the expert committee to examine the child as early as possible and to report "whether the state of the child is treatable in today's medical field or there is any scope of treatment to reverse the condition..."
The bench further directed the state and central governments to find out as to whether the government itself or any other NGOs can maintain the child, "since the child is having normal respiration and digestion and the only problem is forced feeding and it is different from the other patients, whose condition is critical viz. brain death."