18 requests in the Outaouais for doctor-assisted death since legalization, report finds
Not every application has been approved, however
Eighteen patients in the Outaouais applied for a physician-assisted death in the year since the practice became legal in Quebec, according to numbers found in a new report.
The report by the Centre Intégré de la santé et des services sociaux de l'Outaouais was released Thursday night, and it revealed that between June 10 and Dec. 9 of last year, 10 people requested the procedure.
That number represents a slight increase over the previous six-month period, when eight patients requested the procedure.
It brings the total number of applications to 18 over the 12 months since physician-assisted death was legalized in Quebec in December 2015.
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Seven of the 18 requests were not approved, however.
According to the report, one patient did not meet the eligibility criteria and his application was denied, while four others withdrew their requests.
Two further patients died before the procedure could take place, the report said.
Quebec's assisted dying law came into effect six months before the federal Liberals' assisted dying bill achieved royal assent in June 2016, clearing the way for physician-assisted death to become legal across Canada.
As of last September, at least 100 Canadians had sought out medical assistance to hasten the end of their lives, with the actual number likely much higher.