Fear is mounting throughout the medical community in New Zealand after it was recently revealed that euthanasia doctors could be trained on how to kill patients in a sole six-hour online course.

Vulnerable people in New Zealand are expected to be able to access euthanasia by November 2021. Palliative care doctors across the country have now expressed concerns about the nature of the training that those administering euthanasia will receive after it was reported that the training course on how to kill patients involves just one six-hour internet course.

Dr Catherine D'Souza, a senior member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine, said that it will leave patients in the hands of people who are not experts in end of life care and pain management.

Dr D’Souza said: “I'd just feel incredibly sad if somebody wanted to end their life because of pain when they hadn't had the chance to let a specialist have a go at trying to get it better under control…

“If it's going to be an online six-hour training course, like Victoria, I consider that woefully inadequate training for this.”

SPUC comment

A SPUC spokesperson said: “A Ministry of Health survey from New Zealand has revealed that fewer than a third of health practitioners are prepared to participate in the country’s euthanasia regime.

“This means that a small group of doctors will likely be euthanizing patients across the country with whom they have no connection or relationship. Combined with the woefully inadequate six-hour online training course, New Zealand’s euthanasia programme is gearing towards disaster.

“Here in the UK, we cannot make the same mistakes. We must oppose every move to legalise euthanasia and assisted suicide. That would be a tragic step towards creating a culture where people feel their best option in life is to die.”

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