Child Treatment Consent: Fill & Download for Free

I work at a medical trust as a pediatric dentist. Many patients who visit there, are not sound economically.Typically, a mother walks in with a child. I examine the child's teeth, take history and describe in detail, the treatment plan. Then I ask whether I can go ahead with the treatment or not; my patients being minor, parental consent is necessary.Mothers ask me about the treatment charges.Then they go out and call their husbands.At least 60 per cent of them refuse treatment after talking to their husbands. A few women even tell me that their husbands think I am charging much more than what they expect.I tell them that those are charges decided by the trust. I have no role in deciding them.Most of the women want to get their child treated, but can not because they don't have money, not even a debit card.A few of them even returned to me after a few days, with husbands in tow, because the child's condition got worst and husband reluctantly agreed to pay the “heightened” charges. Even then, those “husbands” repeatedly ask me whether I am actually a specialist and wouldn't it be good to call a senior doctor “saab” for treating the kid. I haven't seen my male colleagues being asked such nonsensical queries.The worst part of being a woman in India-To be dependent for taking decisions even for your child's treatment, if unemployed.Having to prove your mettle, almost constantly, when employed.

Children need a voice in India.I can remember a heated moment with a parent.Couple of years back a 4 year old boy was admitted at our hospital with history of fever and lymph gland swelling. Blood tests revealed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or ALL (a form of blood cancer). ALL is the most common cancer in children and has cure rates of more than 80%, which means it is highly curable.We informed the parents about the diagnosis and the intended treatment plan. The treatment was free of charge at our hospital. The dad was fine and agreed to start treatment. The mother of the child refused treatment. She said ‘God has given my child this disease and it is God's wish that he needs to die’, ‘I do not wish to trouble him with chemotherapy’, ‘Let him die peacefully’. This was the first time in my career I saw a mother wish for her child to die. I was stunned and confused. I thought she was scared of the diagnosis.We had long counselling sessions with her. Senior doctors from the hospital and psychiatrist spoke to the family and the mother, we explained that the treatment was safe and that the child would be kept comfortable. The psychologist and social worker spoke to the mother in privacy and couldn't convince her. We spoke to the elders in the family, they all agreed that the child needed treatment, but they did not want to go against the mother's wishes.We got families whose children were undergoing treatment or had successfully completed treatment and were cured to talk to the mother and the family, but the results were the same.After about a day's negotiations I lost my cool. I couldn't see a child with a curable disease being denied treatment. The mother was not scared of the treatment, she knew the treatment would make her child better. I had a heated argument with the mother. I was angry and frustrated. I couldn't see a child's life being thrown away so easily. She held her child against her chest, there was no emotion on her face. The husband looked helpless. The mother walked out of the hospital with her child. We couldn't stop her.Parents plead with us to save their child's life and do not give up hope even if the disease is incurable. In this case it was the opposite.I don't know what happened to the child. Without treatment he would have definitely died in few days. We tried calling their mobile over the next few days hoping the mother had changed her mind, but it was switched off. The mother had no history of psychiatric illness and was educated.In the West they have systems in place to handle such situations, where the hospital can approach the court and ask the court to take custody of the child and ensure that treatment is given.In India we urgently need to get such a system in place. Laws need to be framed to treat children against the wishes of the parents if an expert medical board and the court feels that it is in the best interest of the child. Decisions need to be taken quickly because in life threatening illness we don't have much time. There is a need to set up child protection service units across the country. Many children are abused by their families or strangers in this country but it never comes out, these children suffer silently. Child rights and protection need to be given more importance in India.http://indianpediatrics.net/dec2010/dec-1039-1046.htm read the paragraph on refusal of consent

At 17 yo, she likely doesn't need your consent and why would you deny your child appropriate medical intervention? Adolescent depression kills. Support your child's treatment.