A Queensland advocate for voluntary assisted dying says new laws allowing people to choose when to end their life cannot come soon enough.
Queensland's voluntary assisted dying (VAD) legislation passed parliament in September last year and comes into effect on January 1, 2023.
"There are people dying today because they can't make it to next month," Dying with Dignity Queensland secretary Phyllis Wagner said.
"What do we say to them who are suffering such ugly deaths?"
Ms Wagner, a long-time advocate on the issue, has first-hand experience after her husband died from pancreatic cancer.
"I just wish it [the laws] would have come in sooner, I'm sorry he didn't get to take advantage of that," she said.
"I'm sorry our friend Moya's brother didn't get to take advantage of that.
"We know too many people that have not had the opportunity — there's so many, we are sorry."
Push for equal access
Under the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act, clinicians apply via Queensland Health to become a VAD practitioner, and a designated panel then considers and approves applications.
To date, almost 280 clinicians from metropolitan, regional, rural and remote parts of Queensland have applied to provide VAD services.
Ms Wagner said it was vital that regional residents had the same access to services as those living in metropolitan areas.
She said she was surprised to learn that the majority of applicants so far were located beyond the state's capital.
"They're saying that most of the doctors who have applied, and been tested and passed, have been from the rural areas," Ms Wagner said.
"A member of the VAD implementation taskforce said there was a considerable interest from GPs, mainly from the rural communities."
The Queensland Government has established QVAD-Access, a travel scheme to give greater accessibility to practitioners and patients.
Queensland Health said under the scheme, VAD practitioners and patients would be able to travel to each other when support or services were not available locally.
A spokesperson said the travel costs of authorised VAD practitioners through the scheme would be funded by Queensland Health.
Palliative care lacking
Australian Medical Association Queensland vice president Dr Nick Yim said the group had lobbied the government for support and investment to ensure "equity of access" across the state.
He welcomed the travel scheme as one strategy to do that.
However, Dr Yim, a practising GP in Hervey Bay, said patients were looking towards VAD because palliative care services were underfunded and under-supported.
"It is sad but yet not surprising that many, many patients do want to access that consultation for voluntary assisted dying," he said.
"One of the challenges that we face is access to adequate palliative care services, so often people are asking the question about VAD purely because we can't get that specialist advice."
Like many other regional and remote communities, palliative care access has been a challenge in the seaside town of Hervey Bay, nearly 300 kilometres north of Brisbane.
"Our population is 20 years older than the average, so there's increased rates of cancer, heart disease, lung disease and also chronic pain," Dr Yim said .
Weeks ahead of the rollout, Ms Wagner said she was eager for the historic change to take effect so "we can help some people".
She said it was "emotionally calming" for people with terminal illness to have an alternate pathway.
"It will be peace of mind, that if they need it, they will have the option," she said.
"You have the power of choice to determine your death, more than ever before."
