❓ Mr. Tallentire asks for an update on the implementation of WA's voluntary assisted dying legislation, including the number of practitioners registered for training. The Minister provides detailed statistics on registrations, training completion, requests, assessments, and completions, expressing pride in the program's progress.
AnsweredQoN 835Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
VOLUNTARY
ASSISTED DYING — PRACTITIONER TRAINING
835. Mr C.J. TALLENTIRE to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to providing dignity and compassion to
terminally ill Western Australians. Can the
minister update the house on the implementation of this government's
historic voluntary assisted dying legislation, including how many
practitioners have registered for training?
ASSISTED DYING — PRACTITIONER TRAINING
835. Mr C.J. TALLENTIRE to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to providing dignity and compassion to
terminally ill Western Australians. Can the
minister update the house on the implementation of this government's
historic voluntary assisted dying legislation, including how many
practitioners have registered for training?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question
and for his care and compassion for his community. It was in December 2019 that
we as a Parliament entered this legislation into an act, to provide a compassionate
and dignified way for people to access
end-of-life choices. Since then, the Department of Health and the Voluntary
Assisted Dying Board have been working assiduously to bring that act to
life, and they did so in July this year. For the past four months, the Voluntary
Assisted Dying Act has been operational in Western Australia. Over this time,
169 practitioners across WA have registered to access and undertake the WA
voluntary assisted dying–approved training. We have had 43 practitioners
complete that course so far. I would like to take this opportunity to recognise
and thank those 43 practitioners who have
taken their time to access and complete this course, which is integral to the
process. These healthcare professionals are now assessing patients and
assisting them through the process of their journey. Their efforts in,
support for and dedication to person-centred care is invaluable. I would also
like to take the opportunity to express my gratitude to the staff of the
statewide care navigator service and the statewide pharmacy service, which make
sure that people, wherever they live in Western Australia, can access quality
palliative care and the full range of voluntary assisted dying–related
services, which we all envisaged in this place back in 2019. These are critical components of the ways in which our
community is able to access additional choice at end of life. I have been
informed that 288 first requests have been made by 211 people for access to
voluntary assisted dying, and that of those, 125 first assessments have been
completed. The majority of patients that have been assessed have been diagnosed
with terminal cancer. Since 1 July, 50 people have completed the process under
voluntary assisted dying.
When we started this journey under
the guidance of the member for Morley as Chair of the Joint Select Committee on
End of Life Choices, the Parliament undertook a very important process—a
process to make sure that the Parliament
listened to people who wanted choice at end of life, to make sure that we put
in place a regime that showed compassion but also protected people along
the way, and to make sure that, as a Parliament, we could enter into law very sophisticated and complex laws that
really embrace all the values that we consider most dear at end of life . I am very proud of the work that has been
done by the Voluntary Assisted Dying Board and everyone who has been able to bring these laws into being.
and for his care and compassion for his community. It was in December 2019 that
we as a Parliament entered this legislation into an act, to provide a compassionate
and dignified way for people to access
end-of-life choices. Since then, the Department of Health and the Voluntary
Assisted Dying Board have been working assiduously to bring that act to
life, and they did so in July this year. For the past four months, the Voluntary
Assisted Dying Act has been operational in Western Australia. Over this time,
169 practitioners across WA have registered to access and undertake the WA
voluntary assisted dying–approved training. We have had 43 practitioners
complete that course so far. I would like to take this opportunity to recognise
and thank those 43 practitioners who have
taken their time to access and complete this course, which is integral to the
process. These healthcare professionals are now assessing patients and
assisting them through the process of their journey. Their efforts in,
support for and dedication to person-centred care is invaluable. I would also
like to take the opportunity to express my gratitude to the staff of the
statewide care navigator service and the statewide pharmacy service, which make
sure that people, wherever they live in Western Australia, can access quality
palliative care and the full range of voluntary assisted dying–related
services, which we all envisaged in this place back in 2019. These are critical components of the ways in which our
community is able to access additional choice at end of life. I have been
informed that 288 first requests have been made by 211 people for access to
voluntary assisted dying, and that of those, 125 first assessments have been
completed. The majority of patients that have been assessed have been diagnosed
with terminal cancer. Since 1 July, 50 people have completed the process under
voluntary assisted dying.
When we started this journey under
the guidance of the member for Morley as Chair of the Joint Select Committee on
End of Life Choices, the Parliament undertook a very important process—a
process to make sure that the Parliament
listened to people who wanted choice at end of life, to make sure that we put
in place a regime that showed compassion but also protected people along
the way, and to make sure that, as a Parliament, we could enter into law very sophisticated and complex laws that
really embrace all the values that we consider most dear at end of life . I am very proud of the work that has been
done by the Voluntary Assisted Dying Board and everyone who has been able to bring these laws into being.
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