Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID)

Medical assistance in dying (MAID) is allowed if a patient:

• is at least 18 years old
• is capable of making health care decisions
• has a grievous and irremediable medical condition
• freely and voluntarily requests medical assistance in dying
• gives informed consent to receive medical assistance in dying
• is covered by funded medical services

A patient is considered to have a grievous and irremediable medical condition if they:

• have a serious illness, disease or disability
• are in an advanced state of decline that cannot be reversed
• are in unbearable physical or mental pain from the illness, disease, disability or state of decline that cannot be relieved under conditions they consider acceptable

If your only medical condition is a mental illness, you are not currently eligible for MAID. If you have a mental illness along with other medical conditions, you may be eligible.

There are several safeguards in place to make sure MAID is only used when appropriate. The medical professional providing MAID must, for example:

• ensure that the patient is fully informed of their choice and the consequences
• tell the patient they may withdraw their request for MAID at any time
• receive a second opinion from another independent medical professional confirming that the patient meets the criteria
• give the patient an opportunity to withdraw their request immediately before the procedure
• if the patient’s death is not reasonably foreseeable due to their illness, inform the patient of any other means of treating them

Patients seeking additional information about MAID can talk to a health care provider. Not all will be able to offer this service and some may choose not to offer this service. However, they all must arrange for timely access to information and resources upon request from the patient. An overview of the process is available from the Government of Saskatchewan.