A Dutch man has been attempting in vain to arrange euthanasia for his Italian wife for months. Martien van der Burgt's wife Anna Busato suffered a brain haemorrhage in November and has been in a coma in hospital in Italy since.

He has told his wife’s doctors that she made a living will, choosing euthanasia in the event of a coma. After Italian doctors refused to comply with her wishes, Mr Van der Burgt attempted to have his wife transferred to a Dutch hospital.

In an article on the Dutch website of Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Mr Van Der Burgt writes that Dutch doctors attempted to help him three times, but each time their superiors refused to go along with the transfer.

Anna Busato will soon be discharged from hospital in Noale near Venice since there is nothing more that can be done for her. She will be sent home where she will be given daily medical checkups. If she gets infections, she will be sent back to hospital.

Mr Van der Burgt describes this situation as Kafkaesque. He says that most Italian doctors favour euthanasia for the incurably ill. However, the procedure is illegal in Italy.