Winnipeg, Canada – Doctors Receive New Guidelines on Life-Support Medical Treatment

Winnipeg, Canada – Patients and their families will now also be a part of an official process deciding when to withdraw or withhold life-sustaining medical treatment.

The College of Physicians & Surgeons of Manitoba unveiled the new process, but added doctors still have the final say when it comes to stopping treatment.
The goal is to "minimize" conflicts between patients, families and their physicians, requiring doctors consult in depth with those affected. But the ultimate decision lies with the doctor.

Physicians don’t have to agree with a patient’s family before withdrawing the treatment, said Dr. Bill Pope, registrar of the  Manitoba College of Physicians and Surgeons.
In a recent case still before the courts, the family of a man is opposing the decision of doctors to take him off life support. Samuel Golubchuk, 84, is an Orthodox Jew who has been on life support at Grace General Hospital since early November. Doctors say Golubchuk has only minimal brain activity, cannot communicate and has no chance of improving.

But his children are fighting to keep him on life support, arguing it is a sin to hasten his death. A judge has reserved his decision.