Palliative care needs to be improved before euthanasia can be considered, doctor says – ABC Online

Posted May 26, 2017 20:52:34

Before New South Wales considers passing a euthanasia legislation, there needs to be an improvement in palliative care, says one expert.

National Palliative Care week wrapped up today and specialists say improved palliative care would allow more Australians to die at home, rather than in a hospital.

Dr Megan Best, a palliative care doctor and postgraduate researcher at the University of Sydney, said improving the availability of palliative care should be prioritised.

"Before we can even consider euthanasia or physician assisted suicide legislation," she said.

She said while polling by pro-euthanasia groups such as Dying with Dignity have claimed popular support for assisted suicide, support was extremely low amongst palliative care patients who were close to death.

"Most patients at the end of life want more time, not less," Dr Best said.

But Dr Best said funding for palliative care which aims to improve the quality of life of patients with terminal illness was inadequate.

She said it was particularly difficult to access in regional areas.

Dr Best said more patients should see specialists when dealing with particular problems that other doctors might find difficult to control.

"A pain specialist is someone in a pain clinic or a palliative care specialist," she said.

Paul van Wensveen said he would always remember the day he realised just how much pain his dying father Peter van Wensveen was enduring.

"He called me and said, 'I just want to watch the grand final, and then go.'"

Knowing he had only a short time left to live, Peter was persuaded by a friend working in a palliative care facility to seek help.

Pain management experts, including doctors and nurses, were able to substantially reduce the pain in his cancer-ravaged body.

And that gave him time to say good bye to his son and the rest of his family.

"In his case, he got an extra two months of his life, we had no regrets," Mr van Wensveen said.

But he acknowledged that not everyone who entered a palliative care facility would have the same experience.

Anne Gabrielides suffers from Motor Neuron Disease and along with her husband Paul Gabrielides, has been a passionate advocate for the draft bill to legalise euthanasia.

Mr Gabrielides said his wife, who has lost her speech and has become increasingly reliant on others, has been given palliative care.

"It's what allows her to still be able to work one day a week," he said.

"Palliative care for us is when we have more therapists than we ought to have everybody's helping Anne.

"We're seeing physios, doctors, who are all looking for ways to reduce her pain.

"To us that is palliative care. We will see a palliative care doctor when she is in her dying days but not before.

"Until then, she wants to live."

Mr Gabrielides and his wife said even if palliative care could reduce pain, that was not the reason they would turn to euthanasia.

"For Anne, it is the total dependence on machines and others that means she may one day want to access euthanasia," he said.

Topics: euthanasia, community-and-society, health, pain, death, suicide, australia

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Palliative care needs to be improved before euthanasia can be considered, doctor says - ABC Online