“Doctor Resigns Over MAID Conflict in Faith-Based Facilities”

A Vancouver doctor specializing in palliative care testified in B.C. Supreme Court this week about her decision to resign rather than approve patient transfers for medical assistance in dying (MAID). Dr. Jyothi Jayaraman, along with two other plaintiffs, is challenging the constitutionality of publicly funded faith-based health-care facilities that prohibit MAID on their premises. Jayaraman resigned from her position at two Vancouver hospices in early 2023 due to operational changes transferring one hospice’s management to Providence Health Care, a defendant in the case. Providence Health Care, affiliated with the Catholic church, does not permit MAID in its facilities, forcing Jayaraman to authorize patient transfers based on the institution’s religious stance. She emphasized the distressing impact of these transfers on patients, causing unnecessary physical and emotional suffering. Despite the existence of adjacent spaces for MAID provision near faith-based facilities, Jayaraman believes that patients should have the right to receive MAID within these facilities. The ongoing legal battle involves the Province of British Columbia, Providence Health Care, and Vancouver Coastal Health as defendants, with the plaintiffs set to conclude their case soon.