Nova Scotia received 67 requests for assisted deaths; 31 granted so far

HALIFAX – Of the 67 people in Nova Scotia who have sought a medically assisted death since federal legislation was passed last June, more than half did not get what they wanted.

The Nova Scotia Health Authority says 31people received medical help to die between June 17 and March 31.

The provincial authority says 36 requests did not move forward for reasons including the death of the patient, the withdrawal of a request, failure to meet criteria and the fact that some applications are still moving through the system.

The authority did not comment further, or say how many of the applications fell into each category.

Initial figures were released last October after the health authority had initially refused to divulge information because of privacy concerns.

Last fall, it reported 16 instances where Nova Scotians had asked for medical assistance to die, a number the authority said was sufficient to reduce the risk of a breach of confidentiality.