Nagpur: In a thought-provoking initiative, the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), Nagpur, will hold a public forum on ‘Dying with Dignity’ on November 2 at JR Shaw Auditorium, IMA Hall, to raise awareness about the sensitive but crucial subject of end-of-life care.
The forum precedes Mahacriticon 2025, the upcoming state conference on Critical Care Medicine scheduled for November 7-9 in Ramdaspeth.
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Speaking ahead of the event, Dr. Deepak Jeswani, Organising Chairman of Mahacriticon 2025, said, “Relatives must let a critically-ill patient with no hope of recovery go in a dignified way rather than let them suffer for months on a hospital bed. This forum is about understanding compassion, ethics, and the right to a peaceful exit.”
The session aims to create awareness about withdrawal of futile medical treatment, palliative care, and the concept of a ‘living will’ — a legal document that allows individuals to declare their medical preferences in advance if they become terminally ill or incapable of decision-making.
Senior intensivist Dr. Shiva Kumar Iyer and neurologist Dr. Roop Gursahani will lead the main discussions, focusing on the ethical and psychological aspects of dying with dignity. Other key speakers include Dr. Prafulla Shembalkar, Dr. Praveer Waradkar, Dr. Rajan Barokar, and Dr. Kashish Vats, who will cover topics such as ‘What is a Good Death?’, ‘Understanding the Living Will’, and ‘Palliative and End-of-Life Care’.
Explaining the importance of the ‘living will,’ Dr. Jeswani said, “Until now, doctors and families often struggled to decide when to withdraw active treatment. With a living will in place, primary and secondary medical boards can take an informed and lawful decision to withdraw life support when recovery is no longer possible.”
Adding to the discussion, Dr. Nikhil Balankhe clarified that end-of-life care is not euthanasia. “Euthanasia involves actively hastening death, which is illegal in India. End-of-life care, on the other hand, focuses on ensuring a peaceful, pain-free death when curative treatment has no meaning,” he said.
Dr. Nirmal Jaiswal further noted that while such decisions were earlier taken informally between doctors and families, the Supreme Court’s recognition of living wills has now given them a legal framework. “Often, relatives who are emotionally distant insist on continuing treatment, while primary caregivers understand the patient’s true suffering. This awareness can bring compassion and clarity to such difficult choices,” he added.
The organisers, including Dr. Sudhir Chafle (Organising Secretary), Dr. Ashish Ganjare (Chairman, SCCM Nagpur), Dr. Utkarsh Shah (Secretary), and Dr. Kaustubh Upadhye (Treasurer), have appealed to doctors, nurses, and the general public to participate in the awareness session and help foster a more humane approach to end-of-life decisions.
