By Geoff Smith (@smithco on Twitter)

Eight requests for medically-assisted death in south zone

Dec 14, 2016 | 12:26 PM

ALBERTA – Eight people have accessed medical assistance in dying this year in the south zone of Alberta Health Services.

Around the province the number is 80, most of them since federal legislation removed the requirement to get a court order. Chief zone officer Sean Chilton said the numbers aren’t necessarily higher than they had expected, but reflect an awareness people have of their options.

“The options have become available, and as people begin to understand that medical assistance in dying is an option that they may access and pursue, we’ve certainly seen people continuing to make those requests and access the service,” Chilton said.

Chilton explained the service has required AHS to make sure all the needed supports are there for patients and families, as well as staff.

“We’ve had to ensure that we have the appropriate processes in place to ensure that we can support patients, individuals, families, staff and practitioners as we undertake and support the provision of medical assistance in dying.”

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According to Chilton, the law provides people with the information they need on their options. The role of AHS is to make sure they understand their options and make informed choices, and then have access to the service.

Medically assistance in death was accomodated by new legislation in June, after the previous ban was struck down by the Supreme Court of Canada.