What is the ruling concerning the death of patients and the elderly under the care of a general physician as a result of their unresponsiveness to treatment or prior to determining the cause of death? Is this considered negligence on the part of the physician?

The physician is not sinful if he diligently diagnoses the illness and prescribes the medication, but the patient does not respond to the treatment and dies, because he cannot avert death when the appointed time comes. His feeling of inadequacy is misplaced if he did not neglect his work. However, if negligence, dereliction, and damage occurred because of him, then the physician is accountable according to his degree of negligence.