IN THE past 11 years, out of a population of over four million, only 10,000 people have signed Advance Medical Directives (AMD), a document that in essence indicates that you don't want doctors to prolong your life unnaturally should you be seriously ill.

Why so few? It could be because Singaporeans do not agree with what the AMD represents. It could also be sheer lethargy - people can't be bothered to go through the trouble of addressing an issue that is not pressing.

It could be the hassle of getting a doctor who is willing to act as a witness. Surprisingly, quite a number of doctors have said they are not comfortable lending their signatures. A reader wrote to say she was turned down by a polyclinic doctor when she approached him to be a witness for her AMD.

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