Under the law, patients whose natural deaths are not reasonably foreseeable but whose condition leads to intolerable suffering can apply for a track-two assisted death.
The group representing Alberta’s doctors have said the government is dragging its feet in implementing the new deal and putting patients’ lives at risk in the process.
Some of the risk factors identified by the researchers include working more than 10 hours a day in the second trimester, working six night shifts per month and working eight hours a day in the operating room.
The latest announcement adds to previous Liberal commitments to establish at least 30 new community care clinics to help cut primary care wait-times and a program to provide retention payments to nurses.
The province says it plans to progressively lower the age for self-referrals to 40 from 50, with a plan to get to the age of 45 for testing by the end of next year.
