Joint statement in support of electronic communication for VAD
12 August 2024
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre has joined with other leading organisations to call for changes to a law which has unintended impacts on terminally ill patients, particularly in country areas.
The Commonwealth law prevents doctors from using telehealth to talk to patients about Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD), which is legal in all Australian states.
In 2005, amid concerns about pro-suicide chat rooms on the internet, Australia’s criminal code was updated to make it an offence to use a “carriage service” to encourage someone to commit suicide.
The joint statement calls on the Federal Government to urgently amend this law which encompasses all electronic communication and was “never intended to impact VAD”.
“Even a person who is frail, suffering and in pain must attend all appointments in-person, or wait for a health professional to visit them at home,” the joint statement reads.
“Sadly, some people have died waiting for at-home assessment. People in regional and remote areas face additional barriers to accessing VAD care as travel is required for all steps and stages in the VAD process.
“… It should be for health professionals and their patients to decide if electronic communications are an appropriate alternative to in-person care.”
The same law also prevents doctors, nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals using email, fax, phone calls or text to make arrangements to support the administration of the VAD substance.
Peter Mac is a co-signatory of the joint statement, which you can read in full here.
The joint statement was coordinated by Go Gentle Australia, which also today releases a new report into VAD in Australia.
Key findings of “The State of VAD” report include that 2,460 terminally ill Australians have ended their lives via VAD since it was legalised.
Typically these were men, aged 70-79 years, who had terminal cancer.
The joint statement is endorsed by all of the organisations listed below:
