Harish Rana, India's first person to be allowed passive euthanasia, has passed away at AIIMS-Delhi after more than 13 years in a coma. Rana, a 32-year-old from Ghaziabad, was shifted to the palliative care unit at AIIMS on March 14 and died at 4:10pm on Tuesday.
Rana suffered a catastrophic head injury in 2013 after falling from the fourth floor of his paying guest accommodation in Chandigarh. He was an engineer student at the time.
The Supreme Court had permitted the withdrawal of artificial life support for Rana on March 11, marking the first ever order allowing passive euthanasia in India.
The passive euthanasia process involves withholding or withdrawing nutritional support gradually while ensuring adequate pain relief. The patient is given palliative sedation to avoid distress, and life support measures such as artificial nutrition, oxygen, and medications are slowly withdrawn.
