People who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and are waiting for the adoption of the bill on medical aid in dying to make advance requests will have to be patient since the government is giving itself up to two years to prepare to receive them.
“Of course, we would like it to be faster. We understand that there are people who will be disappointed. […] But we want to do things correctly, “said the Minister for Health and responsible for Seniors, Sonia Bélanger, on Wednesday.
This cross-partisan decision was taken in a parliamentary committee on Tuesday. “We had long discussions on this subject and we gave ourselves a deadline of 24 months. »
The deadline will apply from the adoption of the bill, which must be done by the end of the parliamentary session, on June 9.
The government and the Ministry of Health “have work to do” to “support these people properly,” added Minister Bélanger.
The deadlines are required, she says, by the work “of harmonization with other laws”, the implementation of clinical protocols and the training of nurses in the death certificate, in particular.
The possibility of making advance requests is one of the additions included in Law 11 on the expansion of medical assistance in dying to include in particular people with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, for example.
Flexibility in departure location
The parliamentarians also decided to give people more choice as to where they wish to obtain medical assistance in dying. Originally, it could only be provided in three places: in institutions, in palliative care centers or at home.
However, following revelations from The Press on the offer of paid services to offer it in funeral homes, the parliamentary committee has adjusted.
“We didn’t want it to be marketed,” said M.me Belanger. “We add a fourth option which is ‘according to the will of the person'”.
People will thus be able to receive medical assistance in dying in another place provided that they have it approved by the superiors of the doctor or the specialized nurse practitioner who will provide it, either the director of nursing care or the director of professional services.
With Marie-Michele Sioui