Jump to comment:
- Page navigation anchor for RE: MAID and Bill C7RE: MAID and Bill C7
MAID is here to stay, and is an important tool in the care of the terminally ill or those with intolerable suffering. For most physicians it is a challenging paradigm shift.
Bill C7, rushed through due to a judicial imperative, will leave many vulnerable people at risk. Patients have three months to consider the decision and to access any options that might remediate their suffering. Any medical practitioner is authorized to conclude that this criterion has been met, including a nurse practitioner in a remote rural setting with limited physician access.
In Canada, many challenging conditions can be managed with new options only available in specialty and subspecialty care. Accessing such care is difficult due to geography, long waiting lists, and lack of up to date knowledge of the alternatives, even among community specialists. Moreover, some of these alternatives require ongoing care, treatment adjustments, procedures, medications without provincial support, all of which limit accessibility.
As a urologist, I have encountered many with spinal cord injuries, MS, spina bifida and others with no bladder control, incontinence, skin breakdown, no sexual or reproductive function, and recurring infections. Some had been suffering for years. Surgical options, new medications, Botox, and other options in most cases were transformative, and had never been offered, even after some specialty consultation.
These barriers to relief of suffering must be...
Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.References
- Romayne Gallagher, Michael J. Passmore. Deromanticizing medical assistance in dying. CMAJ 2021;193:E1012-E1013.
- Page navigation anchor for RE: MAID vs Palliative CareRE: MAID vs Palliative Care
For my entire carrier I have watched the battle between general surgery and gastroenterology. This pales to the childish duel between MAID snd palliative care. We can do better.
Competing Interests: None declared.