Karnataka grants its first beneficiary ‘right to die with dignity’

In a pioneering step, Karnataka has issued orders to grant the “right to die with dignity” to its first beneficiary, becoming the first Indian state to do so.

In 2023, the Supreme Court issued a directive regarding a patient's right to die with dignity allowing the withdrawal of life support in case a patient has no chance of recovery or is in a persistent vegetative state.

On Jan 30, the state’s health department appointed medical experts to the secondary medical board to see when life-sustaining treatment can be stopped for terminally ill patients.

Making the announcement on Jan 31, state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said in a post on X: “My Karnataka Health Department, @DHFWKA, passes a historic order to implement the Supreme Court's directive for a patient's Right to Die with dignity.”

"Karnataka is a progressive state and we are always at the forefront in upholding liberal and equitable values for a more and just society," the health minister said.

Karnataka’s first beneficiary is reportedly an 85-year-old HB Karibasamma, who is a retired government school teacher.
For more than 30 years, Karibasamma endured a slipped disc pain and is now battling cancer, as per reports.

She has been campaigning for the right to a dignified death despite her health struggles for the past 24 years, and has sent numerous petitions to political leaders, including the chief minister, prime minister, president, and the Supreme Court of India.

Rao stated that this provision applies only to patients on life support and are unresponsive to treatment. India had legalized passive euthanasia in 2018.

Karnataka's health department has issued an Advance Medical Directive (AMD), or a living will, in which a patient can record their wishes about their medical treatment in the future, he said.

In March 2018, a constitution bench legalized passive euthanasia recognizing a person's right to die with dignity, saying that a terminally ill person can opt for passive euthanasia and execute a living will to refuse medical treatment.

It allowed an individual to draft a living will specifying that she or he will not be put on life support if they slip into an incurable coma.