‘I am alive,’: Says Ex-professor of Mumbai’s KEM hospital after death rumours; Dr Lopa Mehta, 80, known for advocating ‘living will’ | Mumbai News
MUMBAI: When the current head of anatomy at Mumbai’s KEM Hospital phoned his predecessor and mentor on Friday, the retired professor offered an unusual reassurance: “I’m alive.” For two days, Dr Lopa Mehta, who once led the hospital’s anatomy department, was fielding calls from colleagues, students, and relatives after false reports of her death spread through social media and WhatsApp groups.“I am alive and well,” 80-year-old Dr Mehta said, explaining that the confusion began after a Marathi message circulated with her photograph and quickly spread across both medical and non-medical networks. Dr Mehta is among the early advocates of the ‘living will’, an advance directive that allows people to express their wishes for medical care in the event of becoming incapacitated. It can also include the option to decline life-sustaining treatment, making it a form of passive euthanasia.
