Advance Medical Directive

The Advance Medical Directive (AMD) Act allows Singaporeans to make an Advance Medical Directive (AMD). An AMD is a legal document that you sign in advance to inform the doctor treating you (in the event you become terminally ill and unconscious) that you do not want any extraordinary life-sustaining treatment used to prolong your life. Making an AMD is a voluntary decision. It is entirely up to you whether you wish to make an AMD.

The AMD is not euthanasia. Euthanasia often refers to a situation where a doctor induces or assists in inducing the death of a patient who is suffering and has persistently requested the doctor to do so. Euthanasia and its variants including mercy-killing and physician-assisted suicide are all prohibited in Singapore.