Reflections on Medical Law and Ethics in India

Breakthroughs in technology have resulted in finding answers for many of the human health conditions as well as diseases which were thought to be untreatable in the past. However the advantages of modern technology are not free from loopholes, especially in the present era of commercialization. Hence, law plays a pivotal role in regulating the use/application of technology in this branch of science to cater to the best interests of the society. Added to this, the ethical considerations surrounding developments in medicine are many, which pose challenges to law and society equally. Unfortunately, the nuances of ethical and legal issues in medicine have not been properly addressed by either the legal or the medical fraternity in India.The first edition of this book has been the first major effort to comprehensively cover ethico-legal considerations in the field of medicine, especially in the Indian context.

The book has a wide coverage to include the judicial responses to healthcare, problems of law and order in healthcare services, challenges in abortion, surrogacy, organ transplantation and euthanasia, significance of documentation and consent in healthcare, and different aspects of medical negligence in India. Given the rapid progress in these areas after the publication of first edition of the book, it has been found essential to update the book with the recent developments.

Hence, each chapter in the book has been revised by the respective author/s to make the reader acquainted with the latest legal developments in these areas. Thus, this edition of the book continues to stand as an extremely useful resource for medical practitioners, paramedical staff, hospital administrators, lawyers, researchers, students and public in general.