If a doctor cures the illness and it happens that the medical treatment has side effects causing the patient to death, is the doctor at fault?

 

Question:
In the case that the doctor cures the illness and it happens that the medical treatment has side effects causing the patient to death.  I would like to ask if the doctor is at fault?

 
Answer
by Venerable Dhattajeevo Bhikku 

 

 

 

Benefactor, there are two aspects to be considered, in  the first instance,  the illness is beyond the contemporary medical technology.  The doctor has to use usual treatments to fight the disease so the patient may risk death.

In the second instance, the doctor is careless or over-confident causing the patient to die.  The two cases are dissimilar.

In the first instance, the doctor knows that his medical knowledge is lower than the severity of the disease. And no other contemporary medical science can overcome the illness. However, he has tried his best to cure the illness until the patient’s last moment.  If you ask whether the death caused the doctor any sin?  The factor to be judged by:

1) The doctor’s intention

2) The doctor’ negligence or attentiveness.

3) If the doctor knows the limits of his medical competence, he should send for a more capable doctor.

If after careful consideration, the doctor can see no other physician whose medical treatment can cure the disease and knows that no other doctor would accept the patient in this state of illness, he therefore, has no choice but attend the patient until the final moment.  I do not think that the incident will cause the doctor any sin for he has done his job well.

I am also confident that the patient himself will take no revenge because he knows the doctor has tried his utmost to help him.

The sick person must accept the fact that it is his time.  If I were the doctor, knowing the state of the illness, I would advise him to reflect on all his prior good deeds. And if he wants to do any merit making (good deeds), I would tell him to hurry.

While still having a chance to accumulate good deeds, even in the sick bed, he can ask others to do offerings on his behalf for he still has the wealth.

And I will take the opportunity to remind him that 1) life after death exists so that he should not be careless even at the last minute of life.

 2) In traveling into the next existence, the Lord Buddha said that if the departed’s mind darkens, the woeful state will be his, but if the mind is bright, he will have a fortunate rebirth.

Thus upon reception of the patient, I would advise the sick to practice meditation, if his illness does not worsen, he will be brought back to the health.  But if his illness takes his life, he will enter a blissful state of rebirth.  Then there will be no regret.

But in the second instance, the patient’s death caused by the doctor’s carelessness, obviously, the doctor has committed sin.  Even though the doctor can escape from karmic retribution in this lifetime, he will not escape from the law of karma in the next rebirth. Whenever the retribution caught up with him; he would be dead under the negligence of other doctors.

Thus, with or without intention, if it is because of carelessness, it is a sinful action.

Thus I would like to caution all doctors not to be over-confident about curing a sickness.  A single mistake can cause the patient blindness or amputation.  This is the cause, which will lead the careless doctor to be reborn as a maimed or a blind.

This example demonstrates the might of karmic retribution; without the unlucky patient’s wrath.

 If the unfortunate patient enters into a feud, the doctor, will undergo a lot of strife.

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