Tweet
Suren Krmoyan: Armenia, as any other civilized state, bans euthanasia
YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS: `Armenpress' news agency spoke with
legal consultant to the RA Healthcare minister Suren Krmoyan about
euthanasia in Armenia and practice of providing drugs to grave ill
people.
- Mr. Krmoyan, what is the attitude of Armenia toward euthanasia
taking into consideration the circumstance that today many countries
are discussing the issue on allowing it?
- Today Armenia, like any other civilized state, bans euthanasia -
speeding up the death with the request of patient through any activity
or means. There are certain points in the Law on `Medical Assistance
and Service'. The people who are consciously making people apply
euthanasia or are doing it themselves are punished in accordance with
the Armenia's legislation. Each person according to the Constitution
has right to live, it supposes that even with the wish of a person one
cannot deprive him/her of life. It is one of the rules of medical
ethics and is worked out by the International Medical Association. As
to Armenia, during our history, such precedents are not known.
- For instance when people with cancer are being given drugs, does not
it have any relation to euthanasia in respect that the patient is in
unconscious state?
- As to giving drugs to grave ill people, I would say that we have
practice of treatment or smoothing the pains and till the end we are
fighting for prolonging the life of the patient and the healthcare
bodies are just for doing it. The state not only excludes permitting
euthanasia but undertakes steps to prolong the life of the patient as
much as possible as well as tries to improve the quality of life. The
sense of the whole medicine and medical sciences is in it.
- What mechanisms are being applied in Armenia to control the
circulation of drugs provided to grave ill patients?
- The mechanism is the following - the drugs are being provided with
the prescription of a doctor and only after getting the signature of
chief doctor of the certain medical establishment. If the patient is
not in the territory of the medical establishment, the boxes of the
used drugs are being returned. Besides, the officials of the medical
establishment which provides drugs are frequently and periodically
visiting the patient to learn how he/she feels and control the usage
of the provided drugs.
From: A. Papazian
YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS: `Armenpress' news agency spoke with
legal consultant to the RA Healthcare minister Suren Krmoyan about
euthanasia in Armenia and practice of providing drugs to grave ill
people.
- Mr. Krmoyan, what is the attitude of Armenia toward euthanasia
taking into consideration the circumstance that today many countries
are discussing the issue on allowing it?
- Today Armenia, like any other civilized state, bans euthanasia -
speeding up the death with the request of patient through any activity
or means. There are certain points in the Law on `Medical Assistance
and Service'. The people who are consciously making people apply
euthanasia or are doing it themselves are punished in accordance with
the Armenia's legislation. Each person according to the Constitution
has right to live, it supposes that even with the wish of a person one
cannot deprive him/her of life. It is one of the rules of medical
ethics and is worked out by the International Medical Association. As
to Armenia, during our history, such precedents are not known.
- For instance when people with cancer are being given drugs, does not
it have any relation to euthanasia in respect that the patient is in
unconscious state?
- As to giving drugs to grave ill people, I would say that we have
practice of treatment or smoothing the pains and till the end we are
fighting for prolonging the life of the patient and the healthcare
bodies are just for doing it. The state not only excludes permitting
euthanasia but undertakes steps to prolong the life of the patient as
much as possible as well as tries to improve the quality of life. The
sense of the whole medicine and medical sciences is in it.
- What mechanisms are being applied in Armenia to control the
circulation of drugs provided to grave ill patients?
- The mechanism is the following - the drugs are being provided with
the prescription of a doctor and only after getting the signature of
chief doctor of the certain medical establishment. If the patient is
not in the territory of the medical establishment, the boxes of the
used drugs are being returned. Besides, the officials of the medical
establishment which provides drugs are frequently and periodically
visiting the patient to learn how he/she feels and control the usage
of the provided drugs.
From: A. Papazian