Vancouver doctor disappointed by B.C.'s plan for medical assistance in dying at St. Paul's Hospital
Last week, the B.C. government announced it would create a separate clinical space for medical assistance in dying (MAiD) at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, but Dr. Jyothi Jayaraman says that it’s not a compromise.
“Compromises require concessions,” she said. “St. Paul’s did not concede anything, it was Minister Adrian Dix and the province that conceded.”
Dr. Jyothi Jayaraman quit her palliative care job earlier this summer, after the hospice she worked at no longer provided MAiD due to its new religious affiliations. She’s now an independent practitioner.
St. Paul’s Hospital is tied to Providence Health, a Catholic health organization that bans MAiD, despite federal legislation allowing the practice.
In June, Health Minister Adrian Dix said he was discussing with St. Paul’s Hospital how it could accommodate MAiD.
Its announcement of a separate space which will not be part of the existing hospital, but on adjacent property and connected to the hospital with a corridor, has been met with criticism.
"It's not about candlelight and kumbaya and holding hands,” said Dr. Jayaraman. “It's that time that you're taking, instead of lying in bed and having your loved ones around you, you're now going to be transported out. Even if it looks like the Shangri-La, that's not the point, you might be sedated because it's been so uncomfortable."
She says the province’s announcement was disappointing, as it won’t stop forced transfers at other hospitals throughout B.C.
Since the start of June, she's had to transfer eight patients to separate health-care facilities where MAiD is permitted.
"I alone have had forced transfers from places other than St. Paul’s, they could be Mount St. Joseph’s, there are some lodges and there is the Rotary Hospice in Richmond."
Forced transfers are something she says are difficult for health-care professionals, knowing the traumatic experience they put patients through during their final moments of life.
“It's not nuns running the hospital or priests, it’s every one of us that works in these places, we don't subscribe to these faiths, and it’s public tax payer dollars going in there, so it's time to stop."
She’s one of many who've joined the Dying with Dignity organization to begin working with a legal team to file a constitutional challenge.
CEO of the organization Helen Long says she hopes to have it filed in the next couple of months.
"When it's a publicly-funded facility, any taxpayer should be able to access the services they need in that hospital regardless of the religious presence behind the hospital,” said Long.
The B.C. government was asked for comment and told CTV News they’d have a response Monday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6977430.1721929538!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'There's mom and dad's house': New video appears to show destruction of Jasper neighbourhood
Video posted to social media on Thursday morning appears to show the charred remains of a Jasper, Alta., neighbourhood.
LIVE UPDATES Multiple homes, businesses 'lost' to wildfire in Jasper National Park: Parks Canada
Officials from Parks Canada and Jasper say "multiple structures, including a number of businesses and homes, in and around the town of Jasper, have been lost" to wildfire in Jasper National Park.
Alberta premier says a third, perhaps half, of all Jasper buildings destroyed by fire
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says early reports indicate a third and perhaps up to half of all buildings in the historic Rocky Mountain resort town of Jasper have been destroyed in a wildfire.
Prince William's 2023 salary revealed in new report
Newly released financial reports show that William, the Prince of Wales, drew a salary of $42.1 million last fiscal year, his first since inheriting the vast and lucrative Duchy of Cornwall.
Canada to bring home fewest Olympic medals since 2012, according to forecaster
Fewer Canadians are expected to reach the Paris podium than in the previous two Olympic Summer Games, a global data analytics company predicts.
Jennifer Aniston criticizes JD Vance for 'childless cat ladies' remarks: 'I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children'
Jennifer Aniston is criticizing JD Vance for comments he made in his past about women without children.
'Skibidi Toilet:' If you don't know what it is, you will
'Skibidi Toilet' is already an internet sensation and now its about to get even more exposure after the YouTube series is being developed for TV and film, according to a report by Variety.
NASA says no return date yet for astronauts and Boeing capsule at space station
Already more than a month late getting back, two NASA astronauts will remain at the International Space Station until engineers finish working on problems plaguing their Boeing capsule, officials said Thursday.
French sprinter will wear a cap during Olympic opening ceremony after hijab dispute is resolved
French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla will be allowed to participate in the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics wearing a cap to cover her hair, an agreement reached with the French Olympic Committee after Sylla said she was barred because of her hijab.