Tafida Raqeeb (TR) is a child who had an undiagnosed arteriovenous malformation which burst on 9.02.19 when she was 4 years old causing extensive and irreversible brain damage. TR requires constant life-sustaining treatment. She is minimally aware, if at all, but does not appear to be suffering pain. Medical consensus was that continued medical intervention would only sustain her life at or very near her current condition but if maintained, she would live for a substantial period of time
TR's parents and her doctors did not agree on whether this treatment should continue or whether it should be withdrawn, resulting in her death. TR's doctors considered that it was in her best interests to withdraw treatment; her parents wanted to take TR to Italy to continue her treatment.
The court ordered the NHS to pay the costs on the application but declined to order them to be paid on an indemnity basis as sought by the parents because although the application was 'not successful and indeed might be characterised as misconceived', it did not amount to unreasonable conduct of proceedings.
Read the full summary on Family Law Week here.