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Parliamentary Questions


Question On Notice No. 1149 asked in the Legislative Council on 1 December 2022 by Hon Nick Goiran

Question Directed to the: Leader of the House representing the Minister for Health
Parliament: 41 Session: 1


Question

I refer to pages 5 of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Board Western Australia – Annual Report 2021-22, that states 284 patients progressed through the stages of assessment to a Final Request. Of these 284 patients, 190 deaths through the administration of voluntary assisted dying substances were recorded, and page 31 which states during 2021-22, the Statewide Pharmacy Service supplied the prescribed voluntary assisted dying substance on 237 occasions’, and I ask:
(a) of the 94 patients who progressed to a Final Request but whose deaths were not recorded as ‘voluntary assisted dying deaths’, how many of these patients remain alive today;
(b) of the 94 patients who progressed to a Final Request but whose deaths were not recorded as ‘voluntary assisted dying deaths’, how many of these patients were supplied with voluntary assisted dying substances by the Statewide Pharmacy Service; and
(c) of the 94 patients who progressed to a Final Request but whose deaths were not recorded as ‘voluntary assisted dying deaths’ and who were supplied with a voluntary assisted dying substance, how many have since died of a cause other than the administration of a voluntary assisted dying substance? And in each of these cases, have the unused voluntary assisted dying substances supplied to these patients been returned to an Authorised Disposer (the return process for any unused voluntary assisted dying substances referred to on page 23 of the Annual Report)?

Answered on 14 February 2023

(a) The Voluntary Assisted Dying Board has been notified of the deaths of 64 of the 94 patients. No Notification of Death Form – has been received for 30 of the 94 patients.  

 

(b) 41

 

(c) 21 patients who were supplied a voluntary assisted dying substance in the period of 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022 have since died of a cause other than administration of a VAD substance. For these 21 patients all  VAD substances have been returned to an Authorised Disposer (in the case where self-administration was planned) or disposed of by the Administering Practitioner (where practitioner administration was planned).