Man With Incurable Disease Becomes First Euthanasia Patient In The Region Of Murcia – Murcia Today

Date Published: 06/10/2021

A man suffering from an unspecified incurable disease has become the first patient to benefit from the Euthanasia Law in the Region of Murcia.

According to health sources, the patient died in September at his home, assisted by medical staff from the Murcia Health Service (SMS).

The Commission of Guarantees, responsible for ensuring the correct application of the rule, had previously authourised the dying mans request, but has not provided any further details, explaining that the information is confidential, and can only be disclosed by family members.

The Region of Murcia was one of the first five communities in Spain to set up this regulatory body once the law was approved, and has now become one of the first regions to perform voluntary euthanasia.

The process has been very smooth, all the steps set out in the law have been followed and everything has been carried out in accordance with the protocols and the law, explained health sources.

They added that the case was clearly in line with the established criteria as the patient was suffering from a serious and incurable illness or a serious, chronic and incapacitating illness that causes suffering that the person experiences as unacceptable and that has not been mitigated by other means.

The Regional Ministry was initially very critical of the deadlines of the new law, which it considered to be rushed, as it required the development of regulations and protocols, as well as setting up the Commission of Guarantees, in less than six months.

But the deadline was met, and Jos Manuel Allegue, head of the ICU service at Santa Luca General Hospital was placed at the head of this evaluation and guarantees body.

In an interview over the summer, Allegue said he was critical of the law, considering it inopportune, as it comes at a very bad time, with Covid, but said he was committed to its implementation, adding: We are in a position to apply the law.

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Man With Incurable Disease Becomes First Euthanasia Patient In The Region Of Murcia - Murcia Today