A JUDGE has ruled that a man in intensive care at Barnsley Hospital should be allowed to die.
The man, who is unable to be identified following a ruling by a judge, is sedated at the hospital following major surgery on a stoma.
A stoma is an opening of the abdomen that can be connected to either the digestive or urinary system to allow waste to be diverted out of the body.
Before the man, in his 30s, underwent surgery, he made a written statement saying that he would not want to live with a permanent stoma.
The NHS Trust will now proceed, in discussion with the patient’s parents, to withdraw treatment.
The patient will be provided with palliative care to ensure that he retains the greatest dignity, and suffers the least discomfort until such time his life comes to an end.
