The Maharashtra government has created a digital platform for citizens to register advance medical directives (AMDs) or living wills in which they specify their end-of-life choices.
Trustees of these wills, preferably medical officers, will be appointed at the local level to facilitate retrieval of data when the wills need to be executed.
This will help citizens choose their treatment preferences while suffering from a terminal illness, prevent disputes, and give legal clarity during critical medical situations.
What the platform will offer
State guidelines include detailed procedures for executing, recording, and filing living wills. The framework is consistent with judicial directives and seeks to institutionalize a transparent and accessible system across urban and rural local bodies.
The digital platform has been modeled in accordance with the 2023 and 2025 Supreme Court and Supreme Court rulings. The state government started receiving such wills immediately after the court’s directions, with Malabar Hill authorities alone receiving 84 such wills in the last few months.
$1000 fees
The platform is expected to be operated online within the next two days, and citizens can upload their living wills to it in exchange for payment. $1000. Wills can also be registered offline for the same fee. The LGUs have been directed to appoint trustees who will be responsible for receiving, verifying, recording and maintaining the directions securely. The guardian will be the reference point for retrieval and validation when requested by hospitals or family members.
The living will system is a big step towards recognizing an individual’s right to decide their medical treatment in advance, especially in end-of-life scenarios. It reduces ambiguity for clinicians and families, who often face ethical and legal dilemmas in critical care decisions.
Early response
“While hearing the petition filed by Dr Nikhil Datar, the Supreme Court and Supreme Court upheld the legality of the living will as falling under the right to die with dignity granted under Article 21,” an official from the Urban Development Department said. “Maharashtra is the first state to set up such a platform.” The ministry issued the guidelines on Tuesday.
Following the Supreme Court’s directions, local authorities obtained the AMDs but were unable to contact them due to lack of guidelines, officials said. He added, “But now the digital portal has been created and will start working within the next two days.” “Custodians are expected to act on requests within eight days.”
While explaining the retrieval process for age-related macular degeneration, the official said that if a person is unable to express his wish not to receive further treatment in terminal cases, the doctor treating him can reclaim it.
The official said: “Although there is not sufficient awareness of this matter among citizens, we expect it to improve in the coming days.”
