THE CBC REPORTS: Three doctors have now resigned from duty at a Winnipeg hospital rather than obey a court order to continue treating 84-year-old Samuel Golubchuk who remains on life support.
Mr. Galubchuk has been on life support with minimal brain function at the Grace Hospital since last fall. Doctors at the hospital wanted to take Golubchuk off life support, but Golubchuk’s relatives have argued that would violate his beliefs as an Orthodox Jew.
In February, a judge ordered the hospital to continue treating Golubchuk until a trial can be held in mid-September. A few weeks ago, Dr. Anand Kumar resigned from caring for Golubchuk, saying in a letter that he felt keeping the elderly man alive was “tantamount to torture.”
CBC News has learned that two other doctors — Bojan Paunovic and David Easton — have also said they will no longer care for Golubchuk.
“What I can tell you is that there are three critical care doctors who have recently resigned from the [intensive care unit] shift schedule at the Grace Hospital,” said Heidi Graham, spokeswoman for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. The WRHA is working with other physicians to ensure the hospital can continue to provide critical care despite the loss of the three doctors, Graham said.
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20 Responses
When one docotr resigns in protest over this issue, it’s an indealist expressing himself. When three do it, it smacks of a tactic. The message to Canadians is coming in clear; allow doctors to decide when to stop treating a patient, or we’ll withhold treatment another way to the ultimate detriment of everyone.
How will this help the poor frum patient??
Protests are fine,but we still have to help this choleh!
rotzchim
i guess the much rather kill somebody than obey court orders i wouldnt want to fall into their care bh that they are no longer there
It appears that the doctors are contradicting themselves. They call keeping him alive “Torture.” This implies that he could feel pain. Hence, his brain is not dead enough to prevent him from feeling pain, therefore he is not brain dead.
Like the first “Doctor”, these characters have NOT resigned their positions. They simply are refusing to care for this patient.
Mr. Golubchuk’s family now has to persuade the Judge not only on the facts of the case but also, quite possibly, to weigh his life against that of other patients who may be at risk if these doctors cannot be replaced or convinced to return.
what a terrible story! On the one hand its shameful that doctors try to dictate policy to families who should have the right to decide what to do in a democracy. On the other hand if the Dr.s really believe its wrong how can you force them. Also what about the halacha of Rodef? If these Doctors quit the hospital and people end up dying due to a staff shortage? Very complex. Nebech may he have a refuah and yeshua!
what is the halachic obligations and what is the possibility of a recovery from life support is something to be studied
these doctors will skip off to another job tomarrow, if not there then in the US where the money is
Socialized medicine anybody?
I see. The usual chorus of “rotzchim” combined with no details of the medical situation or the relevant halacha. Not surprising.
#5, where on earth did you get the idea that the doctors think Mr Golubchuk is already dead? Nothing in this article or any other article I’ve seen says anything like that. Everyone agrees he’s alive, these doctors just want him dead. And yes, that makes them rotzchim.
I think everyone has to consider that the Canadian health system is footing the bill for keeping this person alive. If the Canadian public doesn’t want to pay for it anymore would the Orthodox community come up with the thousands of dollars a day to keep him alive?
Would each of us really write a check for thousands of dollars to keep someone clinically ‘brain dead’ alive because he is halachicly alive? Can we expect non-Jews to do the same?
This is the kelipa we’re forced to fight every single day. Don’t give up – Lo Yanum vloyishan Shomer Yisroel!
Obviously, none of the above commentators are medical practitioners. The end of life is a blurry line to be sure, but there are times when seeking to extend life is painful, inhumane and ending it is even sanctioned in our sefarim.
When R. Yehuda Hanasi lay in pain and dying and his students were praying for him to live. His maid went up to the roof, and threw down a clay jar to startle his students to interrupt their prayers. They stopped praying and R. Yehuda passed on. The halacha uses many examples of permitting one to die, the most famous one is allowing salt to be removed from the tounge if it is preventing someone’s death. The specific meaning of the example is unclear, but it clearly implies when there is no hope, it is allowable to withdraw medical care.
None of the above commentators know the specifics of Mr. Golubcheck’s medical condition. I would think though that the fact that three intensive care Physicians, whose specialty is using every possible means to extend and preserve life beyond what what would happen naturally would give pause to the condemnations and consider that perhaps his condition is such that he is suffering immensely, and death would be a release for him.
I have seen many patients in such a condition unfortunately and it is a release for the patient, the medical team taking care and the family when such a patient is allowed to finally go home to Hashem.
Calling Doctors obscene, unethical, thugs and death worshippers shows the smallness of their accusers and does nothing to advance your cause or your mistaken, yes mistaken beliefs which Halacha does not support.
Socialized Medicine HA HA
Obama’s Idea of health care.
frummerthanthou-wonderful post! I couldnt have said it better myself.
sammygol, I am aware that many insurance policies (including group policies) have clauses limiting coverage to a certain total over the term of the policy. I’ve seen limits of about $1M, and I think that given the high cost of medical care it would certainly be possible to exceed this amount, at which point I suppose the company could/ would cease providing care. Do you know if this has ever happened?
sammygol, thanks for clarifying. I agree that often expensive end-of-life health care ends up being financed through the government, but I personally think this is an appropriate use of tax dollars.
#15 is correct. People need to be very careful when they put an elderly patient on life support, and yes, while it may not be permissable to “pull the plug” the halacha does not require you to plug it in in the first place!!!! as a medical professional, you can be sure that these people lay there for years- suffering. The blood does not circulate properly when a patient is in bed, many of these intubated patients have pressure ulcers, because they can only be turned minimally. The body begins to atrophy and smells bad- the mouth gets cavities and sores from imperfect oral care (which is not possible if the patient can’t swallow on their own or has an ET tube in their mouth). It’s horrible!!!