Attitudes towards euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide among Pakistani and Indian doctors: A survey

Aim: This study attempts to assess the attitude of Pakistani and Indian doctors to euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Methods: We used a questionnaire survey that included one case history of a patient with cancer and another of one suffering from motor neurone disease (MND). Results: Fifty-two of 100 doctors from Pakistan returned the completed questionnaires. Eight of the 52 (15.3%) doctors agreed with the concept of euthanasia being an acceptable option for the patient with MND. Six of the 52 (11.5%) supported a similar approach for the cancer patient. From India, 60/100 doctors returned the completed questionnaires. Sixteen of the 60 (26.6%) doctors supported euthanasia as an option for the patient with MND whereas 15 (25%) supported a similar option for the cancer patient. Conclusion: We conclude that only a minority of the doctors support euthanasia. This group belongs to a younger age group. In Pakistan, they were more likely to be males. The religion of the doctors did not appear to be a determining factor.