Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals New Delhi Launches Dedicated Living Will Clinic & Advance Medical Directives Clinic 

New Delhi, 23rd August 2025: In a landmark initiative to empower individuals in making informed healthcare choices, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi has launched dedicated Living Will Clinic. The clinic will guide people through Advance Care Planning (ACP), enabling them to document their medical treatment preferences, appoint trusted representatives, and ensure that their care reflects their personal values even in circumstances where they may be unable to communicate their wishes. 

The Living Will Clinic offers structured, end-to-end support including individual consultations, family meetings, legal documentation guidance, and assistance in nominating decision-making representatives. A core focus is helping individuals prepare a Living Will or Advance Medical Directive, a legally recognized document that safeguards autonomy by recording preferences on life-sustaining treatment, resuscitation, and quality of care. The clinic will be led under the leadership of Dr. (Prof) Sushma Bhatnagar, Clinical Lead and Senior Consultant, Pain, Palliative Medicine & Supportive Care, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, a globally acclaimed pioneer in palliative care, pain management, and end-of-life policy in India. With over three decades of clinical, academic, and policy contributions, including founding India’s Pain Policy and End-of-Life Care Policy at AIIMS and serving as President of the Indian Association of Palliative Care. In this initiative, Dr. Ipsita Pati, Attending Consultant, Pain, Palliative Medicine & Supportive Care, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, will be actively supporting the clinic and its patients. 

This initiative comes at a critical time when medical decisions are becoming increasingly complex and emotionally difficult for families in India. By offering professional, compassionate, and structured guidance, Apollo Hospitals aims to ease the burden on loved ones, reduce conflicts in crisis situations, and ensure that healthcare decisions are not only medically appropriate but also aligned with the patient’s dignity and values.  

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. (Prof) Sushma Bhatnagar, Clinical Lead and Senior Consultant, Pain, Palliative Medicine & Supportive Care, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, said: Healthcare is not only about treating illness, but also about respecting an individual’s dignity, voice, and values. Too often, families are left struggling with uncertainty during medical crises, not knowing what their loved one would have wanted. The Living Will Clinic has been created to address this gap. It empowers patients to record their wishes in advance, gives families peace of mind that they are making the right choices, and provides doctors with the confidence that they are acting in alignment with both medical ethics and patient values. This initiative marks a cultural shift in India’s healthcare system, placing compassion, autonomy, and dignity at the heart of medical decision-making. Through the Living Will Clinic, we want to assure people that their care will always remain on their terms.” 

With this launch, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals reaffirms its commitment to bringing holistic and patient-first healthcare to India. By creating a safe and empathetic space for difficult but essential conversations, the hospital is setting a benchmark on how healthcare institutions can combine medical excellence with ethical, value-driven care.