Canada's regulations for medically assisted death come into force

#medicalassistanceindying; #HealthCanada; ​#GinettePetitpasTaylor

Ottawa, Aug 9 (Canadian-Media): Final regulations in Canada Gazette, Part II that create a federal pan-Canadian monitoring system on medical assistance in dying were published today by the Government of Canada, media reports said. 

These regulations, however, will come into force November 1, 2018

Medical assistance in dying being a personal issue for all Canadians, addressing these should be done, says Government of Canada, with utmost compassion and empathy.

"Medical assistance in dying is a sensitive, complex issue and many Canadians have deeply-held views on the subject. We are committed to ensuring that Canadians who choose medical assistance in dying have access to these services. These regulations promote transparency and will help us monitor how this service is being implemented across the country."
said Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Federal Minister of Health.

Ginette Petitpas Taylor. Image credit: Facebook page

The legislation that allowed eligible Canadian adults to request medical assistance in dying was passed by the Parliament on June 17, 2016, and  is now part of the Criminal Code, according to the eligibility requirements and safeguards in the law.

Since then  3,714 medically assisted deaths have taken place in Canada.

Physicians and nurse practitioners should receive receive written requests for medical assistance in dying, and for pharmacists who dispense medication for assisted dying to prevent them from accusations of criminal offence.

The regulations set out reporting requirements for physicians and nurse practitioners.

Any personal data collected will be protected under the federal Privacy Act.

According to the latest data, medically assisted deaths account for approximately 1.07 percent of all deaths nationally, majority of them were between 56 and 90 years old, with average age of approximately 73 years.

This information would be used in publishing Annual reports on Canada's medical assistance in dying, including the number of requests received, the number of medically assisted deaths and the number of people found ineligible.

The regulations come into force on November 1, 2018, and providers could familiarise themselves with new reporting requirements until that date..

Transparency and public trust should be the criteria in implementing legislation across Canada.

Wishes of the dying individuals should be clearly understood while monitoring assisted dying.

​Health Canada plans to produce interim reports until the permanent monitoring and reporting system becomes operational.

Annual federal reporting using the data collected under the Regulations is expected to begin in 2019.