2023-08-10 21:24:24
A nurse clinician at a Vancouver hospital allegedly offered medical assistance in dying to a 37-year-old woman who suffers from chronic depression, reports the Globe and Mail.
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Kathrin Mentler says she went to Vancouver General Hospital last June because she had suicidal thoughts.
Because of the long wait to see a psychiatrist, hospital staff reportedly suggested another alternative.
“Have you considered medical assistance in dying,” the nurse reportedly asked, suggesting that the health care system in the province was “broken.”
Completely overwhelmed by the turn of events, Ms Mentler took to social media to express how she felt.
“How can this be normal procedure for an assisted suicide case,” she points out, adding that she eventually got care from another clinic.
For its part, the Vancouver General Hospital points out that the staff followed all the protocols.
“During patient assessments of this nature, difficult questions are often asked by clinical nurses to determine appropriate care and risk to the patient,” the Globe and Mail reported.
Remember that medical assistance in dying is offered from one end of the country to the other for certain seriously ill patients.
In 2024, the mental health criterion will be added to the conditions for obtaining this type of palliative care.
The case of this British Columbian sparked a lot of reactions, while the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada made a Twitter post on the subject.
“Seriously? 37-year-old woman who suffers from depression asks for help and the hospital tells her: “the system is broken” […] Trudeau plans to legalize medical assistance in dying for mental health cases in a few months,” expressed Pierre Poilievre.
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