Euthanasia laws in Victoria: Patients seek doctors’ help

Victorians are travelling long distances to get help navigating the state’s complex voluntary euthanasia scheme, ahead of its rollout next month.

Terminally ill Victorians are seeking doctors to help them navigate the state’s first voluntary euthanasia scheme when it opens next month.

Experts say there is unlikely to be a flood of applications under the new voluntary assisted dying laws when they take effect on June 19, because of the scheme’s complexity.

But some patients in pain are already approaching doctors who have been trained in how to deal with requests for death — which must be made verbally by adults of sound mind and who have less than six months to live.

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Suburban GP Dr Nick Carr, who sits on the board of Dying With Dignity Victoria, said some people were travelling long distances to prepare for the introduction of the laws.

“I personally have had someone approach me from another area asking me to be his doctor,” Dr Carr said.

“He has less than six months to live, according to his oncologist. This doesn’t mean he wants to use the legislation straight away, he simply wants to know his options.”

It could take some time for patients to find a doctor willing to accept their request for the lethal medication.

Another assisted-dying advocate, Dr Rodney Syme, said patients nearing the end of their lives should expect multiple hurdles if they choose to go down the assisted dying path.

He said patients must find a doctor willing to accept their request for lethal medication, and this must be approved by a specialist in the field of the patient’s illness.

This could take some time, particularly for rural Victorians, while there is also a 10-day cooling-off period.

“For people thinking about using this scheme, they should start seeking advice early,” Dr Syme said.

Only about 150-200 terminally ill Victorians are expected to seek access to lethal medication each year once the scheme begins.

But more than 2200 people have attended information sessions around Victoria, and dozens of doctors have been trained to prepare for the laws.

The Australian Christian Lobby, which campaigned against the laws, said it had grave concerns health professionals were being trained in “administering assisted suicide in Melbourne”.

But Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said the Victorian model was the “safest and most conservative in the world” and that training was imperative to maintaining safeguards.

“Health professionals across Victoria are getting ready for the laws, which are compassionate but conservative, with rigorous safeguards that reflect the wishes of the Victorian community,” she said.

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