Dying Wishes: Understanding Advance Medical Directives from the Malaysian and Islamic Law Perspectives

Authors

  • Fadhlina Alias Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia
  • Puteri Nemie Jahn Kassim International Islamic University Malaysia
  • Muhammad Najib Abdullah Faculty of Syariah and Law, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33102/uij.vol32no.174

Keywords:

advance care planning, advance directives, end-of-life care, Islamic law, Malaysian law

Abstract

The respect for patient autonomy is a bioethical principle that has acquired a compelling degree of prevalence in modern medical practice. While a doctor is ethically and lawfully bound to respect a patient’s preference and personal values in administering the requisite treatment, the duty to do so is more intricate in end-of-life care, when most patients are unable to partake in the decision-making process. An advance medical directive thus provides an assurance that the patient’s right to make autonomous decisions is preserved and will not be defeated by any future incapacity. It also serves to alleviate the ethical dilemma faced by doctors and assist them to determine the course of treatment according to the incompetent patient’s wishes. In turn, this facilitates healthcare providers to effectuate a more functional allocation of resources, which include costly life-sustaining equipment. In Malaysia, although advance care planning and advance medical directives are fairly novel concepts, there have been recent calls by certain sectors to increase awareness among the public and incorporate such measures into the delivery of healthcare services. This paper seeks to discuss the viability of integrating advance medical directives into the Malaysian regulatory framework on the provision of healthcare. Accordingly, this will also include deliberation on the Islamic standpoint with regard to the subject matter, in view of Malaysia’s religious demography and the position of Islam as the official religion of the country.

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Author Biographies

Fadhlina Alias, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia

Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Shariah and Law, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia

Puteri Nemie Jahn Kassim, International Islamic University Malaysia

Puteri Nemie Jahn Kassim is a Professor at the Civil Law Department, Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws, International Islamic University Malaysia. She obtained her Bachelor of Laws in 1991 from University of Southampton, England and obtained both her Masters in 1993 and her Ph.D in 2002 from International Islamic University Malaysia. She further completed an Academic Fellowship at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2006. She specialises in the area of Medical Law and has published extensively in this area in local and international journals. She has also authored several books which include Nursing Law and Ethics (2012), Law and Ethics relating to the Medical Profession (2007) published by International Law Book Services and Cases and Commentary on Medical Negligence in Malaysia (2009) published by Sweet & Maxwell Asia.

Muhammad Najib Abdullah, Faculty of Syariah and Law, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia

Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Shariah and Law, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia

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Published

2020-12-02
CITATION
DOI: 10.33102/uij.vol32no.174
Published: 2020-12-02

How to Cite

Alias, F., Jahn Kassim, P. N., & Abdullah, M. N. (2020). Dying Wishes: Understanding Advance Medical Directives from the Malaysian and Islamic Law Perspectives. Ulum Islamiyyah, 32, 18-39. https://doi.org/10.33102/uij.vol32no.174