Thinking about this, this topic brings to thought some difficult choices that medical professionals are sometimes faced with. I heard a story about a doctor who relieved his patient of the pain she was going through ,okay heres how the story went according to my friend.
He had a friend who goes by the name of Dr. Seun. A man of integrity. Since the day he swore his Hippocratic oath. He stood true to it and did the right thing. But life has a way of bringing difficult choices that eventually changes one's life in ways you didn't expect.and making that decision will be the hardest thing you'd ever do.
It so happened that this fateful day eventually came for this upright Dr, Seun. If he was told that he would make the ultimate decision he wouldn't believe it. He went to work like every other day, did his rounds and check ups, attended to the little emergencies and was preparing to take a rest in his office that was when he was summoned to the emergency ward.
His patient, a young single mother had been diagnosed with some sort of rare form of cancer. She had been receiving treatment from different health care centres but her condition worsened day by day. He was moved to pity because he saw that her only daughter was always praying and in tears for her mother. He never allowed emotions to form when he was at work but this was more than he could handle. The woman's daughter was in pain more than the woman because she didn't know whether her mother would survive or not.
So Despite the best efforts of the medical team, The woman's condition worsened rapidly, leaving her in excruciating pain and with only days to live, it was so sad for him to see both mother and daughter going through so much pain together.
He sorted for ways to ease her suffering, Dr Seun had explored every possible treatment option, but to no avail, which even made him more useless in the situation, he knew she was going to die.
The woman pleaded with him to help her end the suffering in any way possible.And this was against the hospital's ethics and also the hospital committee had refused to approve euthanasia, citing the need to preserve human life at all costs.
As this Doctor sat by her bedside, watching the woman's eyes plead for relief, he didn't know what to do but he knew he had to do something He remembered the words of his medical school professor: "A doctor's duty is not only to prolong life but also to alleviate suffering."
With a heavy heart, He then made the decision to administer a lethal dose of morphine to her, knowing it would end this woman’s life but also bring an end to her unbearable pain.In the morning,when the hospital staff discovered the woman's lifeless body, they knew it was Dr Seun doings and so he was arrested and charged with murder.
At the courtroom , Dr Sean's defense team argued that his actions were justified, citing the principle of double effect. They claimed that Dr. Seun's intention was not to kill her but to alleviate her suffering, and that the death was an unfortunate but necessary consequence.
But the prosecution, however, weren't having it they said that Dr Seun had crossed a moral and legal boundary, and that his actions were nothing short of premeditated murder.The jury delivered verdict of him being guilty but with a recommendation for leniency. The judge sentenced Dr Seun to five years' probation, citing the exceptional circumstances of the case.
My Thoughts on this
To me I feel the doctor made an understandable choice, though I wrestle with whether it was right. He violated protocol by giving that dose to the patient, but seeing someone suffer terribly changes your perspective. The patient was clearly in agony, with no chance of recovery, so perhaps hastening the inevitable was merciful.
The medical board's five years suspension seems too much to me. Yes, rules were broken, but context matters. He acted out of compassion, not malice. Other doctors probably face similar situations but don't get caught or reported. The whole system needs better guidelines for terminal cases.Maybe there could have been a middle ground for better pain management without crossing that final line.
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