New Delhi, March 24 Harish Rana, the first person in India to be granted passive euthanasia, passed away on Tuesday at AIIMS-Delhi after more than 13 years in a coma, sources said.
The 31-year-old, who had been in a coma since 2013, was transferred from his home in Ghaziabad to the palliative care unit at Dr BR Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on March 14.
Three days before that, the Supreme Court, in a landmark ruling on March 11, allowed passive euthanasia for Harish, who was a BTech student at Panjab University who fell from a fourth-floor balcony in 2013 and suffered severe head injuries. He had been in a coma since, with artificial nutrition and occasional oxygen support.
His nutritional support was gradually withdrawn after he was admitted to the hospital.
The Supreme Court had directed AIIMS-Delhi to ensure that life support is withdrawn according to a tailored plan so that dignity is maintained.
A specialized medical team, led by Dr Seema Mishra, professor and head of the department of anaesthesia and palliative medicine, was constituted to implement the process, which was the first of its kind in India.
The team comprised doctors from the departments of neurosurgery, onco-anaesthesia, palliative medicine, and psychiatry.