Perhaps the Buddhist concept of mutual dependency and interrelatedness should be applied to the field of medicine. This concept affirms the interdependence of all beings. When all beings depend on other beings, none of them is primary, and concern for other, co-operation and harmony are crucial human values in social relationship. Suicide or assisted suicide as a "right to die" cannot be absolute because people do not live lone but are members of communities who might be injured by their death or by a social policy that encourages such death. With regard to life and death decisions doctors and other medical personnel should not decide and act by themselves but in partnership with patients, their families and/or surrogates when making decisions on treatment, including the use of life-sustaining technologies. Accordingly doctors ought to include in their professional ethics the need to have the consent of their patients or surrogates for any treatment. When conflicts between doctors and patients or surrogates arise, some form or structure of mediation is needed. Lacking such mediational means, resolution of conflicts depended upon the good will of the two sides to find a compromise. Such good will or possible compromise may not always be present and a law might be enacted to regulate decision-making in cases of conflict. But the law tends to be a blunt instrument, unable to deal with the individual differences and nuances that mark human interactions especially in matters of life and death. Rather, the public must be more educated about what is involved in such decisions. Similarly doctors and nurses must be educated to change their roles to be more of a partner and facilitator in helping patients and surrogates make decisions. Apart from this, while keeping their primary image as healers, dedicated to preserving and prolonging the life of all patients under their care, they have to develop a new approach to death and dying, so that when death becomes imminent they would become graceful acceptors of the inevitable, without considering the hopeless condition of the dying patient as representing the failure of their skills and knowledge. They should instead turn their full attention now to the compassionate care of the dying. Their main concern of course is to relieve the suffering of patients and families and ensure a "good death". To make these changes a long process is required but it is a needed one to minimize conflicts, and pitfalls.