A Manitoba judge has moved up the date for a trial that will determine whether 84-year-old Samuel Golubchuk should be kept on life support.
The case surrounding the care of Golubchuk was set to start in December, but Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Marc Monnin sided Thursday with an application from the Grace Hospital to move the trial up to mid-September.
The hospital says the task of caring for Golubchuk is taking a toll on staff, and one intensive care specialist has already stopped working rotations at the facility in protest.
“I must recognize that the uncertainty created by this case is having an apparently negative impact upon the operation of the hospital, an issue which transcends the personal concerns of the plaintiffs,” Monnin said in a written ruling.
Golubchuk, 84, has been on life support since last November and is relying on a feeding tube and a ventilator.
Hospital officials decided last year to end Golubchuk’s life support, saying he had virtually no chance of improving.
But the Golubchuk family took the matter to court, saying the move would violate his beliefs as an Frum Yid. Removing the ventilator or feeding tube would constitute an action to hasten his death, they argued.
Earlier this spring, Dr. Anand Kumar, the man who originally made the decision to end life support, resigned from rotations at the hospital. Kumar said he could no longer continue in good conscience to keep Golubchuk alive.
(Source: The Canadian Press)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
6 Responses
Refuah Shelamo
I now see somewhat the actions of Sedom, something that was allways hard for me to grasp.
The Doctor resignedfrom the Hospital.. “Kumar said he could no longer continue in good conscience to keep Golubchuk alive.”
WHAT?
“good conscience” These Rotzchim/killers make it look like they are the Tzadikim…. this was Sedom!
Yimach Shemo!
This does not bode well. I thought that the judge, in granting the preliminary injunction, did so in the beleif that Mr. Golbchuk would “go the way of all flesh” and there would be no need for a trial. It now appears that Mr. Golubchuk may be alive when his fate is decided.
#2, Well said.
#3, why assume he will not continue to be alive, when only HKB’H can make that determination? Not even the best of Doctors can.
#4, this is a clear case of physician attempted homicide. The man is ALIVE and the so-called “Doctor” wants him dead.
#5 My belief was that the Court really did not want to address this issue. So it took the path of least resistance, and issued a preliminary injunction pending the trisl. The Court then (I assume) scheduled a trial date far enough into the future to allow Mr. Golubchuk to die as a result of his illness, and thereby not have to rule on the difficult (for them)issues raised in this case, since a trial would be moot. It seems the hospital was not content to wait for the future trial and sought to advance the case. The Court citing a public need to efficiently run health care institutions, has agreed to advance the matter, which probably means that Mr. Golubchuk will live long enough for the trial to occur, thereby putting him back at risk of suffering court ordered euthanasia. It does not bode well.
What would a doctor care?
Stam a rotzel! A Ymach shamoinik!
Let the hospital get more staff!
What can we do ???