Letter to TODAY published on 20/8/07
15th August 2007
The Editor
TODAY
news@newstoday.com.sg
Dear Sir,
I refer to the article, “When you can’t make the call” (Today, 15th August 2007). The proposed Mental Capacity Bill is long overdue. With an increasingly complex society where many decisions have to be made especially with regard to medical and health care at the end of life, the lasting power of attorney (LPA) will reduce unnecessary emotional conflicts and ensure that decisions will not be made out of guilt or overwhelming grief.
It is important to recognise that this Bill is not just for the care givers for the elderly. It is a legislation that will help ensure that the personal wishes of any citizen will be respected should he or she be mentally incapacitated for whatever reason such as accidents, brain tumours or infections, strokes, etc. This may happen to anyone of us irrespective of our age.
While the proposed Bill is a step in the right direction, it should be seen as an instrument to encourage family members to discuss issues such as end of life care, nursing care for the elderly so that potential areas of conflicts are ventilated and addressed.
We will need to encourage our general practitioners to adopt the role of patient advocate physicians to help their patients, especially those with end stage diseases, to make decisions with regard to the LPA.
The lasting power of attorney should also cover areas should as organ donation and medical treatment at the end of life to deal with the deficiencies in the HOTA and Advanced Medical Bill.
Finally, it might be better to use the term “advocate” rather than “donee” as decisions are not necessarily financial.
Yours sincerely,
CWKee
Dr. Patrick Kee Chin Wah
