Overview
- Speaking during Zero Hour, IUML MP Haris Beeran urged the government to introduce the Medical Treatment of Terminally Ill Patients and End of Life Care Act.
- His call followed a Supreme Court order permitting withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment for Harish Rana under the Court’s Common Cause framework.
- Beeran noted that Law Commission draft bills in 2006 and 2012 and Supreme Court guidelines in 2011, 2018, and 2023 have not led to parliamentary action.
- He warned that over 65% of health spending in India is paid out of pocket, intensifying the burden on families in end-of-life situations.
- Citing an implementation path, he pointed to Kerala’s community-based palliative care network, which covers every gram panchayat and integrates hundreds of NGOs.