HEALTH CARE
physicians
lead
the conversation on
End-of-Life Care
By Maria Derzko
C
oncerns over the what the legalization of euthanasia
would do to the public’s trust in physicians and the
need for more accessible palliative care in the province were key points of concern at the CMA/SMA member
town hall discussion on end-of-life care.
“In terms of the doctor patient relationship – it changes everything,” said one Saskatchewan doctor. He added that
this is particularly the case in rural communities where the
local doctor occupies many roles beyond that of a healer.
“Imagine coaching the grandchild of someone you have intentionally killed.”
The May 9th Regina date was part of a campaign hosted by
Maclean’s magazine and the Canadian Medical Association,
to provoke a national conversation on end-of-life issues. Dr.
Jeff Blackmer, the CMA’s executive director of ethics, professionalism and international affairs, guided the conversation.
Performing a dualistic and potentially conflicted role as a
person who preserves life and also as one who ends it, could
impose unique pressures on the physician and alter the way
they are seen in the community and how they see themselves.
Medical aid in dying and its effect on physicians
Bill 52, the recently passed end-of-life legislation in Quebec,
has physicians contemplating the impact that the legalization of medical aid in dying would have on them and the
patients they care for.
There was also palpable concern among attendees that patients’ trust in their physician might be compromised, particularly among vulnerable and marginalized populations,
if physicians are permitted to provide medical aid in dying.
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SMA NEWS DIGEST | SUMMER 2014
In a poignant statement, a local physician described her ex-