A special Saturday clinic has been launched at Hinduja Hospital in Mahim, Mumbai, to help people create living wills. The clinic helps people plan for future medical decisions in case they become seriously ill or unable to communicate. It lets a person decide if they want life support, resuscitation, or ventilator use in such situations.
A living will is also called an advance medical directive. The clinic is led by senior neurologist Dr Roopkumar Gursahani and palliative care expert Dr Smriti Khanna. Both doctors have long supported the "dying with dignity" movement.
The clinic provides therapy, guidance, and assistance in drafting the documents. The process includes notarisation in front of two witnesses, and copies are shared with the person's family, guardians, and doctors. Services are available on Saturdays by appointment.
Though the Supreme Court had recognised the right to a living will in 2018, many people are still unaware of the process. The hospital hopes to close the gap between legal recognition and public access.
Dr Nikhil Datar, a Mumbai-based gynaecologist, has been pushing for clear systems to support this right. Dr Datar, along with two professors, had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court. The PIL asked for proper procedures to register, retrieve, and respect living wills. It also aimed to make passive euthanasia easier under the Supreme Court’s updated guidelines from January 24, 2023.
In April, the Bombay High Court ordered the Maharashtra government to set up a system to retrieve living wills within four months. The court also asked the state to launch a web portal to allow online registration and access.
The government told the court that the portal is under development and will be ready soon. The deadline to complete this is mid-August. However, a bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Makarand S. Karnik dismissed the PIL.
Dr Datar noted that a government resolution on living wills exists, but people often do not know how to find or use it. He suggested that a system like marriage registrations could make the process easier. It should be noted that Maharashtra now has 413 designated custodians, including two in Mumbai.
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