Is force feeding the underweight children a solution to the problem?
The new set of guidelines issued by the Scotts which require doctors to legally allowed to force-feed anorexic patients close to death has caused a great deal of concern. Patients' groups fear that doctors will be more likely to resort to force-feeding rather than trying to persuade patients to consent to treatment. Force feeding, it seems, is not a preferred solution.
But Dr Flora Sinclair, medical officer for the Mental Welfare Commission, said this guideline is to be enforced only as a last resort and under strict criteria.
Patients who become extremely ill from their eating disorders need to be kept alive These artificial means usually involve inserting a tube inserted into the nose or stomach to provide the body with necessary nutrients.
However, many people with anorexia are so dangerously ill that they refuse any kind of sustenance. In such cases, they must be sedated and treated against their will because they are often so weak that it is highly dangerous to try to hold them down.
It appears that doctors in these situations may not have a choice but to force feed their patients to prevent them from dying.
Sinclair said doctors could also forcibly treat children under the age of 16 who were refusing food, even if their parents disapprove of this move.
If the doctors want to stop treatment, in line with the patient's preferences, they would have to seek legal advice. 