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07-06-2022, 09:23 PM
Radio Sintonia:
Seven people have taken advantage of the Law regulating euthanasia in the Canary Islands.
The Minister of Health, Blas Trujillo, reported today in the Parliament of the Canary Islands that, after the first year of the approval and implementation of Organic Law 3/2021 regulating euthanasia, seven people, of which five are women and two men, have taken advantage of the provision of help to die, after being favorably informed by the Guarantee and Evaluation Commission that regulates it.
All the requests originated in centers of the public network of the Canary Islands Health Service and, of them, four were made in the hospital environment and three in the patient's own home, always respecting the will of the person. In addition, there are two applications under consideration and two other petitions whose files are in the process of being initiated.
Trujillo recalled, in a parliamentary appearance on the incidence and development in the Canary Islands of the norm after the first year of its approval, that with its entry into force Spain became the fourth European country with a law that legalizes the practice of euthanasia and medically assisted suicide, along with holland, Belgium and Luxembourg. Currently, there are five European countries in which it is legal, after approval in Austria, in January of this year.
The counselor explained that the law recognizes medical assistance to die, as an individual and free right, included in the common portfolio of benefits of the National Health System, supervised and carried out by health professionals. In this sense, he explained that this new right "is a guarantor and for its realization it must be corroborated that the specific assumptions of the euthanasia context included in the Law are given."
Among the requirements for people to apply for the benefit is that they must be of legal age, capable and aware at the time of the application, suffer a serious and incurable illness or a serious, chronic and impossible condition certified by the responsible doctor, and have made two requests voluntarily and in writing, with at least 15 Calendar days between them.
Likewise, the norm determines the duties of the health personnel that attend to these people, defining their framework of action, and regulates the obligations of the administrations and institutions concerned to ensure the correct exercise of the recognized right.
14,763 active AVMs in the Canary Islands
The law also articulates the possibility of requesting this aid in advance, to apply it at a later time, in which there is no longer capacity to act. This document of prior instructions is called Advance Manifestation of Will (AVM) and are registered in the Registry, with its corresponding annotation in the Clinical History of the SCS, both Primary and Specialized Care.
The minister said that since the beginning of the MaV Registry in the Canary Islands, in 2007, 17,295 demonstrations have been registered. Of these, 14,763 are currently active and a total of 1,438 have been registered since the entry into force of the euthanasia regulation law. Of the latter, in 892 cases there has been an express desire that euthanasia be administered (6 out of 10), compared to 71 in which the express will of its non-application is established, and 388 in which there is no manifestation in this regard.
Likewise, of the 14,763 manifestations in force, in 3,069 the will to receive euthanasia has been registered, in case of complying with the criteria established in the Law for its application, compared to 170 in which the express wish of the grantor that euthanasia not be administered has been registered.
Guide, information and documentation
In order to ensure the quality of the service, a multiprofessional group of the SCS has been formed for the application of the Law and during this year the training will be extended to all professionals. A 'Guide for the application of the provision of aid to die in the Canary Islands' has also been prepared, a document that defines and develops the procedure to be followed by health centres. In addition, it has been necessary to have another 14 documents to make effective the provision of euthanasia, which contain the information and procedures in each of the phases of the procedure.
Likewise, Health has also made available to citizens and health professionals on the websites of the Ministry and the SCS complete information on euthanasia, rights of people who decide to start the process, procedures to request it.
In this sense, Blas Trujillo remarked that "it is essential that the person who wants to initiate a procedure to help die understands the totality of the information, so that he can give his free, voluntary, conscious consent and in full exercise and use of his faculties".
Seven people have taken advantage of the Law regulating euthanasia in the Canary Islands.
The Minister of Health, Blas Trujillo, reported today in the Parliament of the Canary Islands that, after the first year of the approval and implementation of Organic Law 3/2021 regulating euthanasia, seven people, of which five are women and two men, have taken advantage of the provision of help to die, after being favorably informed by the Guarantee and Evaluation Commission that regulates it.
All the requests originated in centers of the public network of the Canary Islands Health Service and, of them, four were made in the hospital environment and three in the patient's own home, always respecting the will of the person. In addition, there are two applications under consideration and two other petitions whose files are in the process of being initiated.
Trujillo recalled, in a parliamentary appearance on the incidence and development in the Canary Islands of the norm after the first year of its approval, that with its entry into force Spain became the fourth European country with a law that legalizes the practice of euthanasia and medically assisted suicide, along with holland, Belgium and Luxembourg. Currently, there are five European countries in which it is legal, after approval in Austria, in January of this year.
The counselor explained that the law recognizes medical assistance to die, as an individual and free right, included in the common portfolio of benefits of the National Health System, supervised and carried out by health professionals. In this sense, he explained that this new right "is a guarantor and for its realization it must be corroborated that the specific assumptions of the euthanasia context included in the Law are given."
Among the requirements for people to apply for the benefit is that they must be of legal age, capable and aware at the time of the application, suffer a serious and incurable illness or a serious, chronic and impossible condition certified by the responsible doctor, and have made two requests voluntarily and in writing, with at least 15 Calendar days between them.
Likewise, the norm determines the duties of the health personnel that attend to these people, defining their framework of action, and regulates the obligations of the administrations and institutions concerned to ensure the correct exercise of the recognized right.
14,763 active AVMs in the Canary Islands
The law also articulates the possibility of requesting this aid in advance, to apply it at a later time, in which there is no longer capacity to act. This document of prior instructions is called Advance Manifestation of Will (AVM) and are registered in the Registry, with its corresponding annotation in the Clinical History of the SCS, both Primary and Specialized Care.
The minister said that since the beginning of the MaV Registry in the Canary Islands, in 2007, 17,295 demonstrations have been registered. Of these, 14,763 are currently active and a total of 1,438 have been registered since the entry into force of the euthanasia regulation law. Of the latter, in 892 cases there has been an express desire that euthanasia be administered (6 out of 10), compared to 71 in which the express will of its non-application is established, and 388 in which there is no manifestation in this regard.
Likewise, of the 14,763 manifestations in force, in 3,069 the will to receive euthanasia has been registered, in case of complying with the criteria established in the Law for its application, compared to 170 in which the express wish of the grantor that euthanasia not be administered has been registered.
Guide, information and documentation
In order to ensure the quality of the service, a multiprofessional group of the SCS has been formed for the application of the Law and during this year the training will be extended to all professionals. A 'Guide for the application of the provision of aid to die in the Canary Islands' has also been prepared, a document that defines and develops the procedure to be followed by health centres. In addition, it has been necessary to have another 14 documents to make effective the provision of euthanasia, which contain the information and procedures in each of the phases of the procedure.
Likewise, Health has also made available to citizens and health professionals on the websites of the Ministry and the SCS complete information on euthanasia, rights of people who decide to start the process, procedures to request it.
In this sense, Blas Trujillo remarked that "it is essential that the person who wants to initiate a procedure to help die understands the totality of the information, so that he can give his free, voluntary, conscious consent and in full exercise and use of his faculties".