(Ottawa) More than 15,000 people received medical assistance in dying (MAID) in Canada in 2023, but statistics show the growth of cases has slowed significantly.
Published yesterday at 10:55 p.m.
Health Canada indicates in its fifth annual report on MAID, published Wednesday, that the 15,343 people represent an increase of 15.8% compared to 2022.
This is about half the average annual growth rate of 31% between 2019 and 2022, but the report stresses that it cannot draw “reliable conclusions” about whether the slowdown in demand growth means a “stabilization” of the number of cases in the long term.
“Increased awareness of medical assistance in dying as part of the continuum of care, the aging population and associated disease patterns, beliefs, societal acceptance, as well as the availability of practitioners who provide the assistance medical to die are all factors that can influence the number of cases,” the report indicates.
“It will take several more years before trends in aggregate demand can be conclusively identified,” he adds.
According to Health Canada, 19,660 people requested MAID in 2023, but 2,906 died before their request could be fulfilled, while 915 applicants were deemed ineligible and 496 withdrew their request.
The report states that natural death was “reasonably foreseeable” in approximately 96% of people who received MAID, that the median age of recipients was approximately 78 years, and that cancer was the most frequently cited medical condition. , or in 64% of cases.
Health Canada said Wednesday’s report was the first to report on the race, ethnic origin or cultural identity of beneficiaries of the MAID program.
Statistics show that 96% of recipients identified as Caucasian, while East Asian was the second most common ethnic identity, at 1.8%.
“Given the limitations of the data and the relative homogeneity of responses provided, it is not possible to undertake a more meaningful analysis of potential differences based on racial or ethnic identity,” the report states.
The data also made it possible to break down the number of MAID beneficiaries by province. Quebec has the highest number of cases, 5,601, which represents 36.5% of the total number.
There have been 4,644 cases in Ontario and 2,759 in British Columbia.
“In almost all cases, MAID was administered by a practitioner,” indicates the report, which specifies that the practice of self-administration is illegal only in Quebec.
Medically assisted dying is only legal in Canada for people on the basis of a physical health condition, but federal Health Minister Mark Holland said Ottawa is studying the feasibility of expanding the regime to include advance requests.
Quebec announced in October that people with conditions such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease will be able to apply for MAID before their mental capacity is reduced.
Applicants whose health condition is mental illness are still not eligible for the service until at least March 2027.
In October, a British Columbia judge granted an emergency injunction that prevented the doctor-assisted death of a 53-year-old Alberta woman, a day before the procedure was scheduled to take place in Vancouver.
The woman was denied MAID in Alberta, but found a practitioner in Vancouver who approved it. The request for an urgent injunction says approval was given without consulting the patient’s other doctors.
Judge Simon R. Coval said in his ruling that the woman, whose identity is being protected by the court, appeared to be suffering from a mental health issue and not a physical illness.
