To die at home, or in hospital? Proposed changes to law aim to give Hongkongers more say on end-of-life care
- Stronger legal backing for advance directives stating individuals’ treatment preferences when terminally ill
- Proposed changes will encourage nursing homes to let residents ‘die in place’ instead of being sent to hospital
As people live longer, questions are being asked about how, and where, the elderly ought to spend their final days. In Hong Kong, with an ageing population and stretched health care system, an overwhelming 96 per cent of elderly people who died in 2017 died in hospital. Change is in the air for those who prefer to die in dignity and surrounded by familiar faces at home or in residential care homes. The Hong Kong government has begun gathering views on proposed legislation to make it easier for people to refuse certain medical treatments when they are terminally ill, or to choose to “die in place” by saying their final goodbyes at home or in care homes, not hospitals. City Weekend looks at the recommendations and what they mean for Hongkongers.
1. Can a dying person choose not to be sent to hospital or refuse treatment?
A mentally competent person can make an advance directive – also known as a living will – to indicate what life-sustaining medical treatment he does not want if he develops a serious, irreversible illness. However, there is currently no clear legal backing for these advance directives, and this creates practical difficulties in implementing the individual’s wishes.
