Lata, a mother of two children, was admitted to a hospital for acute abdominal pain. Her sister-in-law, Sujatha, accompanied her. Dr. Mansi examined Lata and recommended a diagnostic laparoscopy. Lata's consent was taken to conduct the medical procedure under general anesthesia. During the laparoscopy, Dr. Mansi's team discovered a tumor in Lata's uterus. A closer examination suggested that the tumor could be malignant. One option before Dr. Mansi was to extract a sample for biopsy. In that case, if the tumor was malignant, Lata would have to undergo another surgery for removal of the uterus. An alternative was to remove the uterus immediately. Dr. Mansi had to take a quick decision. As Lata was under general anesthesia, Dr. Mansi explained the situation to Sujatha. Sujatha agreed with Dr. Mansi's recommendation for a hysterectomy, wherein Lata's uterus would be removed to avoid the risk and pain of undergoing another surgery. Dr. Mansi removed Lata's uterus after receiving Sujatha's consent in writing. Lata was informed of this the next day. She was very upset and felt betrayed as she had not consented to the removal of her uterus. Lata complained to the police who tried to convince her that Dr. Mansi had acted with good intention to help a patient. Sujatha was of the same opinion, however Lata was not convinced and decided to approach the court.(a) Discuss the ethical issues involved in this case.(b) Discuss the moral conduct of the doctor in this situation.
What the examiner wants
Assess whether beneficent intent justifies an irreversible non-emergency procedure beyond the patient’s consent and whether the sister-in-law could authorize it.
Demand-wise check
- 1Stakeholders: Lata, doctor/team, Sujatha, hospital and future patient trust≈40 words
- 2Issues: autonomy, informed/scope of consent, beneficence, non-maleficence, reproductive integrity and accountability≈40 words
- 3Urgency test: suspected malignancy/avoiding second surgery versus biopsy and later informed choice≈40 words
- 4Moral limits of surrogate consent where Lata had not authorized hysterectomy≈40 words
- 5Judge doctor by motive, necessity, proportionality, consent process and available alternatives≈40 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Where marks usually go
- Letting 'good intention' erase autonomy
- Assuming family consent automatically substitutes for patient consent
Value addition
- Consent ladder: diagnostic consent→new finding→urgency test→authority
→ Draw it in the body, next to the point it supports.
Verified value additions
These are verified official-source additions selected for this exact PYQ. Use only the point that strengthens your argument.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 14 minutes, then get it checked.