Removal of a Ventilator

Removal of ventilator in a conscious woman due to non payor source is inhumane and unethical.

Frantz Francois

Tirhas Habtegiris (1978- December 14, 2005) was a legal female immigrant from Eritrea ( East Africa ). She was a 27 year old terminal cancer patient at Baylor Regional Medical Center in Plano, Texas. The patient was removed from the respirator because she did not have any medical insurance and her family was unable to pay the hospital bills. Ms Tirhas Habtegiris was given a ten days notice, and then , with the bills unpaid, withdrew her life support on the eleventh day despite her last wishes to allow to see her mother for the last time. Her wishes were not granted, the respirator was removed, and it took Ms. Habtegiris about 15 minutes to die.
From my perspective view I think it is very wrong from the Baylor regional medical center to decide to end up someone life because she does not have any proof of coverage. This is very wrong to give a patient only ten days to find alternate placement when your are on respirator and without any coverage. That is not sufficient time. The hospital could not even wait for the mother of the dying patient to arrive from Africa to comfort her for the last time. In this country, you do not have no money or insurance: you are nothing, you are not a human being.
This is very immoral and unethical. We are talking about a conscious woman, not in a vegetative state, removed from a ventilator, dying while knowing that she is suffocating to death, after being allowed only ten days to find alternatives. Could you imagine what it must be like to know that you are dying for fifteen minutes. Reflect on a conscious person knowing that life-givingair was being cut-off. Sit quietly for 15 minutes and contemplate how hopeless and horrifying that must feel.
Ms. Tirhas was awake , alert, and aware of what was about to happen, and her last wish was not granted. Just to allow her to die in her mother’s arms. That was very cruel.