New guidelines for treatment of terminally ill patients

The Czech Doctors’ Chamber has approved a new set of guidelines relating to care for terminally ill patients. According to the daily Lidové Noviny which broke the story on Friday, doctors will have the option to decide when to stop giving terminally ill patients intensive treatment, and concentrate merely on easing the patient’s pain and discomfort. This would concern predominantly patients in a coma and patients with multiple organ failure. The Doctors’ Chamber has stressed that this is not to be interpreted as euthanasia. Nevertheless, it is being described by doctors as a revolution in Czech medicine.