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No. 67

Editorial

The General Medical Council issued its version of "Withholding and Withdrawing LifeProlonging Treatments: Good Practice in Decision-Making" in early August. Though more tactful than the BMA recommendations in 1999, the sense is the same. The motto of the GMC is "Protecting patients, guiding doctors". There is little protection for patients who cannot speak for themselves in paragaph 38:

"Always consult a clinician with relevant experience (who may be from another discipline such as nursing) in cases where.... you are considering withholding or withdrawing artificial nutrition or hydration from a patient who is not imminently dying, although in a very serious condition, and whose views cannot be determined..."

Relatives of stroke victims who have gone into hospital should take warning. The label "REHAB" on the ward may just indicate someone's perverted sense of humour (see Item 1 inside).

CONTENTS 

 
  1. "POOR CARE COSTS LIVES OF STROKE PATIENTS"
    The Times 24 July 02, Daily Telegraph 9 Aug 02
  2. "GMC APPROVES EUTHANASIA BY OMISSION"
    Catholic Herald 30 Aug 02
  3. DOCTORS UNDER PRESSURE
    Daily Telegraph 23 May 02, "Assisted deaths are creeping up on us"    '
  4. SCOTTISH DOCTOR MAY CHALLENGE LAW
    The,' Scotsman 2 Sept.02
  5. "MAKING DECISIONS"
    Bishops' Statement 16 July 02
  6. EXPERIMENTS WITHOUT CONSENT?
    "Making Decisions", Lord Chancellors Dept, April 2002
  7. STEMCELLS FROM EMBRYOS
    Pro-Life Times, July 2002
  8. PROFESSOR RICHARD SMITHELLS
  9. THE AIM OF MEDICAL TREATMENT
    Disability Tribune July 2002
  10. NO WARNING OF TRAUMA
    BMJ 22 June 02, Daily Telegraph 17 June 02
  11. "BIRTH-RATE INCREASE WOULD HELP"
    Hansard House of Lords, Written Answers 30 July
  12. SCOTLAND'S "FALLING AND AGEING POPULATION"
    Glasgow Sunday Herald 24 Sept 02
  1. OREGON - KEEPING IT DARK
    International Task Force UPDATE,
    2002, Vol. 16, No. l.
  2. OREGON-SHREDDED
    The Oregonian,31 July 02
  3. DEATH THAT DID NOT HELP THE CAUSE
    Daily Telegraph of Australia, 20 May
  4. BACK-STREET SUICIDES"
    Luton Herald and Post, 26 Sept 02
  5. END OF SUICIDE VERDICT;
    The Times, 30 Aug 02
  6. FRONT-STREET SUICIDE
    Nancy Valko's News Service, 25 Aug 02
  7. "CHOICE"
  8. THE WORLD'S MOST NEGLECTED DISEASES
    BMJ 29 July 2002
  9. IN BRIEF: Dame Cicely's Verdict. Low Asian Birth Rate Will Result in Poor Elderly. Police Probe 13 Deaths at Hospital. Guernsey Studies Euthanasia. HFEA Challenged. HFEA Slammed by M.Ps.American Red Cross Collects Umbilical Cord Blood.
  10. NEW BOOKS
  11. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
    2:30 p.m. Saturday 2nd November 2002

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