Doctors reject turning off Mandela’s life support on July 06, 2013 at 4:25 am in Mandela Watch JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – Nelson Mandela’s doctors have rejected the idea of turning off the ailing icon’s life support unless he suffers massive organ failure, a close family friend told AFP. Denis Goldberg — an anti-apartheid activist who has been Mandela’s friend for more than half a century — on Friday said the issue of turning off life support was discussed and ultimately dismissed. “I was told the matter had been raised and the doctors said they would only consider such a situation if there was a genuine state of organ failure,” Goldberg said. File photo: Nelson Mandela “Since that hasn’t occurred they were quite prepared to go on stabilising him until he recovers.” The 80-year-old Goldberg was convicted along with Mandela in 1964 for their fight against white- minority rule. He visited the former president in hospital on Monday. A court document filed by a lawyer for Mandela’s family nine days ago stated the 94-year-old was “assisted in breathing by a life support machine.” “The Mandela family have been advised by the medical practitioners that his life support machine should be switched off,” the court filing read. “Rather than prolonging his suffering, the Mandela family is exploring this option as a very real probability.”
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 06:37:16 +0000