Various respondents have said that the patient on the point of death

must be clear-headed enough to take leave of his loved ones and to forgive them. They also think it important that the patient can appear before Allah in a clear state of mind in order to answer for himself. This is why people often have problems with opiates being given and deep sedation is often refused. From the moment that her brain was affected, they discussed with us whether we Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical would not rather keep her asleep. I had the feeling that we were being put under pressure, that we couldn’t really make our own choices. I didn’t want that. It is not permitted to let someone meet death like that (daughter of Moroccan female patient). A cautious approach to the use of sedatives or opiates can also go together with the fear that the

Dutch may be giving drugs to speed up the process of dying. It is not only that people have problems with medical treatment that might (possibly) curtail life, even stopping treatment to prolong life Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical is seen as being in conflict with the religious commandment not to take life. I can imagine that if I were in a stage where I just didn’t want to go on, then I could just stop taking the medicine. But for my parents, that’s not an option. This is very different from Dutch culture and it was new to me, too. It is not allowed, you Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical are not allowed to commit learn more suicide in Islam, you have to do everything to, as long as you’re still alive, it’s good, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical you are not allowed to end a life (daughter of a Moroccan female patient).

Care in the country of origin Many patients and their families appreciate the health care in the Netherlands, not least because they are insured for the expense that illness brings in its wake. But many families also attach importance to contacts with care providers in their countries Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of origin. Some of them, as mentioned above, want a second opinion in their own country. Others hope that a holiday in their own country will help, that the sun, mountains, family and old friends will do the patient good, physically and emotionally. Some families believe that, in their through own countries, their contacts will allow them to get a better grip on health care. This is particularly true of families with money and connections. My father’s oldest brother came up with the idea. He said, I know hospitals, because he studied in Turkey, he’s got friends who are doctors in Turkey. And those doctors have friends who are special for those diseases. They come from America and so on. My uncle says to my father, get up, go there, you’ve still got a chance (son of a Turkish male patient). Another contributory factor is that in the patients’ countries of origin, they can stay longer in hospital, thus doing their best to get maximum treatment. Also, some patients choose to die in their own country.