Wednesday 19th June 2019 was a historic day for Victoria after parliament introduced voluntary assisted dying legislation to the community for patients facing imminent death as a result of incurable disease, with that ruling a patient’s decision to end his or her life voluntarily became a possibility.
The legislation is complicated and coupled with many safeguards. VAD has understandably been debated with great emotion and considerable controversy before and since the legislation was introduced.
In this episode we discuss the legislation with Dr Frank Hofmann who approaches the subject with extreme sensitivity, consideration and empathy including -
· Implementation of the legislation
· Safeguards, rules and checks involved
· The supports including palliative care that are available for patients choosing VAD
I think you will agree that Frank navigates the conversation with great professionalism. I am very pleased to share the episode with you.
Useful references include –
www.bettersafercare.vic.gov.au(Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board)
To be a guest on the show or provide some feedback, I’d love to hear from you: manager@gihealth.com.au
Dr Luke Crantock MBBS, FRACP, is a gastroenterologist in practice for over 25 years. He is the founder of The Centre for GI Health, based in Melbourne Australia and is passionate about educating General Practitioners and patients on disease prevention and how to manage and improve their digestive health.
