Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID)

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This page provides documents and resources to support health care providers and administrators with the implementation of MAID. Saskatchewan-specfic materials were produced by a provincial working group on medical assistance in dying, which included representatives of the:

  • Saskatchewan Ministry of Health;
  • Saskatchewan Health Authority​;
  • College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan;
  • Saskatchewan Medical Association;
  • Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association; and
  • Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals.
These resources are provided to supplement, not circumvent, existing information and requirements related to MAID such as federal or provincial legislation, regulatory body guidelines or policies, and regional or institutional policies.

Federal Reporting Requirements

On November 1, 2018, the federal government's Regulations for the Monitoring of Medical Assistance in Dying came into force. The objective of the monitoring system is to gather data in order to gain insight into the implementation of MAID legislation in Canada, while protecting the privacy of individuals.

On March 17, 2021, the amended federal legislation on MAID (Bill C-7) received Royal Assent and immediately came into force.

Changes in the new law related to data collection include:

  • allowing for the collection of data on all assessments following a person's request for MAID. This includes any requests that have not been put in writing or any preliminary assessments that may be undertaken by other health professionals—such as other types of nurses—in the care team or through a care coordination service;
  • modifying the Minister of Health's regulation-making power to:
    • expand data collection related to race, Indigenous identity and disability, and
    • seek to determine the presence of individual or systemic inequality or disadvantage in the context of or delivery of MAID; and
  • requiring pharmacy technicians to provide information under the monitoring regime if they dispense a substance for MAID.

Changes in Bill C-7 require amendments to the federal Regulations for the Monitoring of MAID. This process is expected to take up to two years (expected completion in Spring 2023). In the interim, Health Canada will work with provinces and territories to determine what additional information associated with Bill C-7's new provisions could be collected on a voluntary basis.

Requirements under the federal regulations for practitioners in Saskatchewan are set out below. 

Who needs to report?

  • Physicians and nurse practitioners who (1) have received a request for medical assistance in dying in writing, and (2) encounter one of the six scenarios set out below have an obligation to report certain information.
    • A patient's written request may take any form including a text message or an email. It must, however, be more than an inquiry or a request for information about MAID.
  • Pharmacists who have dispensed a substance in connection with the provision of MAID have an obligation to report. 

What type of scenarios trigger the requirement to report (for physicians and nurse practitioners)?

In brief, the six scenarios are:

MAID was not provided:

1. You referred a patient to another practitioner or to a care coordination service, or transferred the care of a patient, as a result of a written request for MAID.
2. You became aware that the patient withdrew their written request for MAID (this includes before a referral or transfer of care).
3. You became aware of the death of the patient from a cause other than MAID (this includes before a referral or transfer of care).
4. You found a patient to be ineligible for MAID.

MAID was provided:
5. You provided MAID by administering a substance to a patient.
6. You provided MAID by prescribing a substance for self-administration by the patient (in Saskatchewan, a practitioner can prescribe a substance to a patient to orally administer but the practitioner must be present when the patient administers the substance).

How do physicians, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists report?

  • The Saskatchewan Health Authority is named in the federal regulations as a provincial designate. This means that physicians, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists must submit information to the Saskatchewan Health Authority, who will provide the data to Health Canada.
  • If you have any questions about the federal regulations or the process within Saskatchewan, or to access required forms, phone the Saskatchewan Health Authority at 1-833-473-6243.

Failure to provide the required information

  • Physicians, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists are required under s.241.31 of the Criminal Code to file the information required in the regulations within specific timeframes. Those who knowingly fail to comply with this requirement could face a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.

Documents

Resources