Doctors will need to be trained – if they are expected to assist in a patient’s medically administered death.

That’s the word from Dr. Jeff Blackmer – the CMA’s vice-president of medical professionalism.

Blackmer says Canadian doctors have never been taught about assisted death – which was against the law – until the Supreme Court of Canada overturned the existing ban earlier this year.

He says the CMA is looking at providing an intensive two-day course for doctors – who are willing to help a suffering patient die.

The CMA will be meeting soon with doctors from the Netherlands – where physician-assisted death is legal – to discover what can be learned from their experiences.

Canadian doctors are divided over the issue of physician-assisted death.

A discussion today among delegates attending the CMA’s annual meeting in Halifax brought to light how much of a contentious issue the topic is.