With advances in medical technology, there are now ways to prolong life even in the face of terminal illness. This means that there are increasingly complex decisions that patients may need to make regarding how they would like to be treated – or not treated.
That's where the Advance Medical Directive (AMD) comes in.
Introduced under the Advance Medical Directive Act in 1996, an AMD provides an avenue for Singaporeans to state their preference for their end-of-life care in the event they are incapacitated or otherwise unable to make these decision on their own.
Even though the law recognising AMDs have been in effect for more than two decades in Singapore, AMDs are still not widely understood, perhaps due to the stigma surrounding the topic of illness and end-of-life care.
Rather than being introduced to AMDs only during a dire situation, here's what you need to know about AMDs and how it can help give you and your loved ones peace of mind if the worse occurs.