Officials with the Nova Scotia Health Authority say the only hospital in the province that doesn’t offer medically-assisted death is in the Quad Counties.
Greg Boone, a spokesperson for the hospital, says officials at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital in Antigonish can’t offer the procedure, but there’s an alternative option.
He says patients and their family members would work with physicians to discuss a plan if they’re eligible for medically-assisted death, and work on an arrangement to be transferred to another facility or have the procedure done at home.
Boone tells The Hawk the reason relates to the agreement involving faith-based hospitals.
“There are some health care facilities or health care organizations across the country that operate under memorandums of understanding or agreements with the religious organizations that originally owned those hospitals or facilities, and respecting the history of faith-based hospitals.”
Boone says the deal for St. Martha’s was implemented in 1996.
“The Mission Assurance Agreement was created to make sure that the philosophy and mission and values of St. Martha’s Regional Hospital would remain the same,” he says. “The hospital would keep its very important faith-based identity.”
Boone says they have no plans to change the agreement, and no one has requested a medically-assisted death at St. Martha’s.
Photo credit: Nova Scotia Health Authority (www.NSHealth.ca)