Swiss doctors urge the most vulnerable COVID-19 patients to register their end-of-life wishes in advance

ZURICH: Swiss doctors urged people at risk of complications from Covid-19 disease to register their wishes in the final stage in advance to relieve pressure on intensive care units, prompting criticism from a rights group. Senior citizens.

Elderly Rights Advocacy Group Pro Synctote said calling doctors is premature and excessive, but doctors insist such patient decisions are necessary in the painful reality of caring for critically ill patients during this pandemic.

At a time when healthcare systems face high rates of infection, healthcare professionals working with limited resources and limited places in intensive care units can sometimes face painful dilemmas. Ethical questions about the treatment of Covid-19 patients have led to a government review in Britain and a legal battle in Germany.

The Swiss Society of Intensive Care Medicine has warned of a decrease in the number of intensive care beds in Switzerland and last week called for “particularly at risk”, including people over the age of 60 or those with diseases such as heart and diabetes, to record their wishes on paper if the worst happened.

“This will support not only your relatives, but also the workers of the intensive care units, as they make decisions so that the treatment can be started in the best possible way according to the individual wishes of the patient,” he said in a statement.

Pro Synctote Schwiz said that the Swiss Society of Intensive Medicine’s appeal, although it appears reasonable advice in normal times, leaves the impression of inadequate urgency for a decision that requires deep consideration.

He added that “the appeal of the Swiss Society of Intensive Medicine … comes in the context of an absolute emergency in which Switzerland has not yet found itself”.

Thierry Fumo, president of the Swiss Society of Intensive Medicine, said the association does not aim to put pressure on anyone or provide a family, but rather to encourage them to think ahead.

“This is even more important at a time when people at risk are more vulnerable to infections and have a high risk of entering the intensive care unit and at risk of death,” Fumo said.

(Reuters)