Temporary Amendments to MAiD Standard

To help remove unintended barriers and to mitigate the risk of infection to vulnerable populations, the NSHA has recommended temporary changes regarding Medical Assistance in Dying. At its March 27, 2020 meeting, the Council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons endorsed the NSHA’s recommendations and have approved temporary amendments to its Professional Standard Regarding Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).

Caring for Patients in a Pandemic

These are extraordinary times, giving rise to many questions from physicians about their ongoing responsibilities. We wish to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of physicians around the province. 

We encourage physicians to review CMPA’S COVID-19  guidance which provides a succinct outline of the CMPA’s expectations of physicians, including:

“Despite the challenging conditions of a pandemic/catastrophic event, physicians will be expected to continue to act professionally on behalf of their patients.”

The College understands that physicians know to exercise sound professional judgement when caring for their patients in the midst of this pandemic. As such, the College expects reasonable measures to be undertaken to minimize risk and maximize your ability to help patients. These measures might include altering your schedule regarding patient encounters, increasing your use of phone or virtual consultations, and limiting physical examinations only to the most necessary.

Physicians considering the closure of practice must adhere to the College Standards on Temporarily or Permanently Closing a Medical Practice and Reducing the Size of a Medical Practice.

The College wishes to thank all physicians who are called upon during this pandemic.  We ask that you use your professional judgement to stay well while caring for your patients.