LONDON : Nearly 3,000 patients -- or eight people a day -- were illegally helped to die in Britain in 2004, according to new research which claims to be the country's first authoritative study of euthanasia.
Just under half of one percent of the 585,000 deaths that year -- or 2,865 cases -- were assisted by doctors, the study by Professor Clive Seale, from Brunel University, western England, suggested.
An estimated one third -- or 192,000 -- had their deaths accelerated by doctors using pain relief in a procedure known as the "double effect".
The figures, published in the medical journal Palliative Medicine, were extrapolated from responses to an anonymous survey of medics. A total of 857 general practitioners and hospital specialists responded.
Doctors described 0.16 percent of all deaths -- or 936 cases -- as voluntary euthanasia.
A further 0.33 percent -- or 1,929 cases -- were said to be "ending life without an explicit request from the patient", or non-voluntary euthanasia.
These cases were said by Seale to involve patients very close to death who had previously indicated their wishes for euthanasia but were unable to give a specific instruction to doctors.
Both voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia are illegal under British law.
No cases of suicide assisted by doctors were reported in the survey.
"The rate in the UK is significantly lower than in other countries where this survey has been conducted," said Seale.
"British doctors are somewhat less willing to break the law and engage in these acts than doctors in other countries. In general there is a culture of palliative care."
Responding to the survey, which was reported in a number of British newspapers Wednesday, pro-euthanasia group the Voluntary Euthanasia Society said it proved some doctors were breaking the law and helping patients to die.
"This is all done in secret and denied in public," said its chief executive Deborah Annetts. "This cannot be safe.
"We desperately need to put the patient at the centre of these decisions and to make sure doctors are acting within proper safeguards to protect the patient and themselves."
- AFP /ct
The study is also illegal.
How is the information obtained? Can the sources or tip offs that these scientists be trusted?
It's stated there already.....survey/ sampling method.