Shortly afterwards, paramedics and an emergency doctor arrived and relieved the police officers of the chest compressions. The man handed over the dying will and again gave details of the medication he had taken. Despite his protests, the paramedics brought in a defibrillator and continued resuscitation measures with the emergency doctor until all signals on the ECG went out.
The paramedics cannot be blamed personally, says Ombudsman Bernhard Achitz: "What they need are clear regulations and information on the subject of the End of Life Decree Act and assisted suicide. Legal contradictions should be eliminated so that emergency services can respect advance directives." According to the Vienna Rescue and Patient Transport Act, for example, the rescue services are obliged to provide immediate first emergency medical assistance in the event of imminent danger to life.
Ombudsman Achitz: Clear regulations required in the event of a dying will!