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Euthanasia in Vic based on Seattle Hospital model

The Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy MLA announced during a visit to the USA in late March 2018 that Victoria will partner with Seattle Cancer Care Alliance to implement Victoria’s assisted suicide laws.

The Vic government is already steaming ahead with the "project".

Despite being named one of the top 5 best hospitals in the nation for Adult Cancer Treatement by US News and World Report, the hospital in Seattle has the stain of euthanasia on its copy book for over 10 years.  

Victoria's The “Implementation Task Force” (13 members) responsible for enacting the Victorian assisted suicide Act had already met on 27 Feb 2018, 8 weeks after bill was passed. Applications for Victorian Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board  have just closed in mid April 2018.  It appears that at least 250 staff will be employed in arranging the deaths of what we were told would be no more than 150 people per year.

One of the documents on the website states.... “Ministers may raise the classification of an entity within Schedule A by one level. Using the following criteria: Responsibility: The board independently sets long term strategies and policies and has final authority to decide all strategic and operational directions. Decisions have a major impact on long term organisational performance and will influence the public perception of government. Complexity: Multifaceted and difficult to grasp. Organisational Change: The board may be required to direct significant organisational change. The organisation would employ at least 250 people. Personal Risk: Extreme - Appointment carries extreme risk in both financial terms and in terms of professional reputation. Termination without notice or substantiation may occur at any time. Knowledge and Experience Required: Extensive and diverse commercial experience, expert knowledge of a number of business fields and a detailed understanding of the impact of important issues in many other fields.”

The Victorian Pharmacy Conference in April 2018 incorporates a session (Sun 29 April 2018) on: Voluntary Assisted Dying in Victoria. Speaker is :  Mr Jarrod McMaugh BPharm MPS | Community pharmacy proprietor, PSA Vic Vice President and member of PSA Harm Minimisation Subcommittee, member of Victoria’s Voluntary Assisted Dying Implementation Taskforce. 

In addition, research has commenced at Monash University in Melbourne.  See project on issues for non-medical health professionals by Assoc Prof Susan Lee, Monash University Department of Medicine, Nursing and Education.

It is clear that the government is investing intensive resources to ensure the system of assisting patients to take the irreversible step of self administered suicide is ready for commissioning by the deadline of 19 June 2019. 


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