Taiwan Ministry to update Patient Right to Autonomy Act regulations

台灣衛福部將更新病人自主權利法

Taiwan first country in Asia to legally protect the right of patients to end life support


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Health and Welfare is working toward implementing updated regulations to the Patient Right to Autonomy Act in Jan. 2019 and last week announced four conditions under which patients may choose to terminate their lives.

The Patient Right to Autonomy Act was first passed in late 2015 and the 2019 update is excepted to more clearly define patient rights and the circumstances under which patients may decide to stop receiving life-sustaining medical treatment.

The four circumstances predicted to be outlined in the act revision are: irreversible coma, vegetative state for over three to six months, severe dementia, and terminal illness.

Taiwan is the first country in Asia to pass legislation of this kind to protect and respect patient rights, according to CNA.

The ministry defines terminally ill patients as those eligible for hospice care or suffering severe brain damage with little proven evidence that they will regain consciousness.

Patients must have established their decision regarding life termination in advance to be eligible for protection under this act. The act recommends that if doctors or medical organizations do not comply with a patient's advanced wishes that the patient be transferred to another hospital.