Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing Living Wills in Thailand. For those who are unaware, there is a difference between a Living Will and a Will. A Will as most people are aware is a testamentary instrument regarding the distribution of one's property in the event of one's demise. A Living Will is a slightly different thing. 

Let's go ahead, I recently received an email from a viewer and decided to go ahead and make this video. Quoting directly: "I wonder if you could give us a few comments on this subject. A friend of mine who has been quite ill for a long time is now in hospital on life support, two resuscitations after cardiac arrest. He has no illness insurance at all. He also isn't married; this means that there was no family member that was permitted to turn off life support. With great difficulty I found the telephone number of his estranged daughter in Germany and the doctor very kindly called her and got permission. He is still alive but sinking fast. His companion of 10 years is now expected to fill the bill. So the question is "how do people like this "certify" or ensure that no resuscitations, intubations or the like are to be carried out? Does this require an affidavit, witnessed and paid for? A bit late for this guy now but may be useful information for others in the same situation."  

Well in point of fact yes there is a mechanism if you will. There is a document that can deal with that. It is what we would call in the west a Living Will. It is covered under the Thailand National Healthcare Act of 2007 which basically allows folks to preemptively refuse the right to treatment if they are in a terminal stage at some point of their life. It has got to be written by somebody who is of sound mind and body, maybe not body, but of sound mind at the time that the instrument is formalized and it can confer authority onto an individual to make the decision not to resuscitate for example and to possibly terminate assistance of living functions for example if somebody is on a machine if you will; if they are being kept alive by machines you know an individual can opt to essentially, not to be indelicate, but "pull the plug" as it is sometimes called. 

Yes that is out there. There is a mechanism. It is really unfortunate where we see these type of situations. Oftentimes we find folks that decide to go ahead and do a Will also at the same time often decide to do a Living Will that will operate in the power of someone that is close to them, a family member or a close friend that allows them to not be resuscitated and to pass away without being kept alive artificially. This can be a great benefit to many families. As noted in that correspondence we just read, these can be really trying circumstances, very stressful for both and having some clarification for family members in these rather difficult circumstances can often be very beneficial.