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Advance Medical Directive Or Living Will - Ministry Of Health's Priority For Next Five Years 
Posted on Sunday, October 29, 2006 - 06:00 PM

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said on Sunday, 29th October 2006, that the Advance Medical Directive (AMD) would be one of the issues his Ministry would be looking into in the next five years.

Introduced in 1997, the AMD allows a patient to state in advance that he does not want to be sustained artificially should he become terminally ill or unconscious.

About 4,000 Singaporeans have signed an AMD. The majority did so after the Terri Schiavo case, an American whose feeding tube was removed after being in a persistent vegetative state for 15 years. It received high publicity in Singapore.

As part of the Ministry of Health's (MOH) five-year plan, which will be outlined after Parliament opens on 2 Nov 2006, the Minister will be looking into the legislation governing the AMD.

He hopes to make the process simpler and easier, and also to enhance its public outreach. This approach is a contrast to 10 years ago, when the concern was that signing the AMD would be too easy.

Mr Khaw was speaking to reporters after he launched South West CDC's three-year initiative which empowers residents, community and religious organisations to take charge of their health.