Several additions to the Patient Right to Autonomy Act (病人自主權利法) would make patients the main subject of informed consent, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on Wednesday
The act gives patients the right to refuse life-sustaining treatments if they are terminally ill, are in an irreversible coma or a permanent vegetative state, have advanced dementia or meet other conditions announced by authorities.
It is to be promulgated on Jan. 6 next year.
Photo: Su Chin-fong, Taipei Times
The ministry on Wednesday released the Enforcement Rules for the Patient Right to Autonomy Act (病人自主權利法施行細則) and the Regulations Governing Healthcare Facilities that Provide Advance Care Planning (提供預立醫療照護諮商之醫療機構管理辦法), which aim to complement existing rules, and clarify terms and execution requirements.
It also released a legally binding advance-decision form, or living will, which people who are still capable of making and communicating healthcare decisions could use to write down their decision in advance.
The form allows people who meet the conditions to choose four options in regard to life-sustaining treatment, artificial nutrition and hydration: accept; refuse; have a healthcare agent decide when they are unconscious or incapable of clearly expressing their will; and stopping treatment after a certain period.
The complementary regulations emphasize that any advance decision about treatment should be made with the patient’s consent, and they can decide what permissions to give different healthcare agents and in what order, Department of Medical Affairs Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said.
An advance-decision form is to be filled out when the person is still capable of making decisions, and scanned and stored as an electronic file, he said.
The regulations clearly define the five conditions under which a living will can be drafted and stipulate that if a healthcare facility or doctor is unwilling to abide by the patient’s decision, the patient should be referred to another hospital to ensure their rights, Shih said.
The rules require local authorities to select accredited hospitals with more than 200 beds to provide advance care planning services.
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
RSS