Panaji: Bombay High Court judge MS Sonak gave his assent to the 'End of Life Care (EOLC)' will at a ceremony here on Friday, making Goa the first state in the country to launch the 'Advanced Medical Directives' (AMD) facility.

'End of Life Care' policy is the care given to those who are close to death. A judge working in the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court has become the first person to give his consent to a will popularly known as 'Living Will'.

A living will is actually a document

'Living Will' is actually a document in which a person describes what kind of treatment he wants to receive at the end of his life. It is actually prepared so that in case of a serious illness, if the person is not in a position to take decisions himself, then a decision can be taken about him according to the already prepared document.

Congratulations to all the parties who made the implementation of AMD possible

Dr. Sandesh Chodankar and Dinesh Shetty were present as witnesses while Dr. Medha Salkar, Chief Medical Officer, Directorate of Medical Services, Goa was present as a gazetted officer at the ceremony held at the High Court premises near Panaji. On this occasion, Justice Sonak congratulated all the stakeholders who made the implementation of AMD possible in the state.

Appeal to understand the intricacies of living will

He said that with this Goa has become the first state in the country to implement the Living Will facility in letter and spirit as per the directions of the Supreme Court. He also appealed to the people to understand the intricacies of Living Will and take a decision after careful consideration.