Canadian says hospital staff ‘pressured’ him to put his wife to sleep

“Today it seems that the concept of wanting treatment is viewed by some medical workers as absurd – that you actually want treatment and not death,” he said. “You are now seen as terrible because you want to be treated. You cost the system. Everything turns upside down once you start killing.”

Leskun said he believes there are efforts to guide people to MAiD in certain circumstances. “I think it’s at a point where the system calculates that there’s too much cost and effort. I believe the system has a motivation to get these types of people to die with medical assistance.”

This realization disturbed him greatly. “I originally wanted to go back into the system, but I don’t want to anymore,” he said.

“I just want to make sure people are aware that they have to be very careful about making sure they speak for themselves and that they understand that I think the system tends to get rid of the bad cases. the hard cases, the expensive cases. And they need to be aware of that.

“It seems to me MAiD is presented as a noble choice – good for society, for everyone, for yourself, it’s the noblest thing to do,” he said.

The Fraser Health Authority says it has enacted programs to help its employees cope with the emotional and moral distress that can result from participating in the provision of assisted suicide.

Dixon Tam, a senior adviser with the agency’s Office of Communications and Public Affairs, said in an email that since 2016, when medical assistance was legalized, Fraser Health has “encouraged staff to access support and resources as needed.” , z to their superiors as well as access to internal and external employee counseling services.”

The agency is also facilitating “dialogues with staff to explain their right to object on a conscientious basis and not to participate in the direct provision of medically-assisted deaths, while ensuring that eligible patients have access to this service,” said he.

Tam’s comments came in response to a series of questions put to his office by The BC Catholic after the agency previously provided the newspaper with classified documents showing the system-wide implementation of MAiD was met with opposition and unease in triggered by the workforce. The BC Catholic reported on these concerns in its January 23 issue.

This story was the latest in a series that began in March 2021 after several FHA patients complained that they were being harassed into agreeing to MAiD. A similar complaint was made by the Sunshine Coast’s Richard Leskun.

Tam said the health agency is offering MAiD “as an end-of-life option in a way that is safe, respectful and supportive for patients, families and providers” and that the agency has “launched a number of initiatives to help our staff understand the.” [2016] Legislation to best support our patients.”

These include: “An ethics debriefing tool for employees that can be used both before and after a MAiD deployment,” which “provides specific MAiD training for Fraser Health employees, as well as training tailored specifically for specific employees.” , e.g. B. those working in hospice care” and establishment of “Community of Practice MAiD sessions, including one conducted by the Regulatory College of Nurses (now known as the BC College of Nurses and Midwives)”.

Tam dismissed the idea that internal opposition to MAiD contributed to the current understaffing in BC’s healthcare system.

The federal government, which wants to extend euthanasia to people whose only condition is a mental disorder, announced this week that it would delay implementation of the provision until March 17, 2024.

“Fraser Health is working to prepare for this new legislation to ensure we are able to support our employees while also ensuring that eligible Canadians have access to information about legal options that are available to help them to address unbearable suffering,” Tam said.

Meanwhile, the BC Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner is scheduled to conduct a February 9 written investigation into The BC Catholic’s effort to uncover even more hidden information from secret meetings of Fraser Health’s board of directors.

This article was originally published in The BC Catholica weekly publication serving the Catholic community in British Columbia.

Terry O’Neill is a contributing writer for The BC Catholic in Vancouver, British Columbia.

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