In 2021, 3.3% of all deaths in Canada were through the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program, accounting for 10,064 deaths..MAiD continues to see rapid growth across Canada, with a 32.4% increase over 2020..Since the MAiD program began in 2016, approximately 31,664 people chose that way to die..However, Canada only began releasing the MAiD statistics in 2019.. Total MAiD Deaths by Year .New legislation passed on March 17, 2021, allowing anyone to use the MAiD program regardless of whether or not they had a life-ending illness. These individuals are called “no reasonably foreseeable natural death” (non-RFND)..The number of non-RFND was 2.2% (219 individuals) in 2021..Of those 219 individuals, 45.7% had a neurological condition, followed by “other” at 37.9%, and multiple co-morbidities at 21%..Canada’s Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said “as minister of Health, I am proud to present Health Canada’s Third Annual Report on Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada (2021).”.The main reason individuals choose MAiD was the “loss of ability to engage in meaningful activities (86.3%), followed closely by the loss of ability to perform activities of daily living (83.4%).”.READ MORE Manitoba woman chooses assisted suicide, claiming lack of healthcare.Both physicians and nurse practitioners can administer MAiD, 94.4% of those administering MAiD were physicians and 5.6% were nurse practitioners..However, 8.4% of all MAiD deaths were done by nurse practitioners, as nurse practitioners take on more of the MAiD caseload..Not everyone requesting MAiD receives approval..In 2021, there were 12,286 written requests with 81% resulting in the administration of MAiD..Of the remaining 2,336 requests, 231 individuals withdrew their request, 487 were ineligible, and 1,618 died before receiving MAiD..READ MORE Assisted suicide decision is a 'deeply personal one' says Winnipeg Health.The main reasons individuals withdrew their MAiD request were they changed their mind at 62.3%, decided palliative care was sufficient at 38.5%, and 12.1% withdrew consent right before the MAiD procedure when asked for their final consent.. MAiD by Age .Of the 487 individuals deemed ineligible, most were incapable of “making decisions with respect to their health.”.Those who died before receiving MAiD lived an average of nine days and 70% had cancer..Most individuals die in private residences at 44.2%, followed by hospitals at 28.6%, palliative care facilities at 19.6%, residential care facilities at 6.1%, and other settings at 1.5%..In 2021, men are more likely to choose MAiD at 52.3% compared to 47.7% of women, which is consistent since 2019..The average age increased from 75.3 years old to 76.3 years old..The most likely conditions of individuals making the request were cancer at 65.6%, followed by cardiovascular conditions at 18.7%, chronic respiratory conditions at 12.4%, and neurological conditions at 12.4%.
