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Too Healthy for MAID? Manitoba's High Denial Rate
10 Mar
Summary
- Manitoba's MAID denial rate is five times the national average.
- An elderly patient was deemed too healthy for MAID despite chronic conditions.
- The province has seen fewer MAID provisions than in previous years.
Manitoba is grappling with a significantly higher rate of medically assisted dying (MAID) denials compared to the rest of Canada. In 2024, the province's denial rate stood at 32%, more than five times the national average of six percent.
This trend impacts individuals like 94-year-old Penner, who, despite suffering from chronic heart and kidney diseases and a broken pelvis, was informed she did not qualify for MAID because she was considered "too healthy."
Data from Shared Health shows a continuing trend, with the MAID eligibility rate dropping to 26% in 2025, still substantially higher than the national average. Manitoba is the only province to report fewer MAID provisions in 2024 than in 2021.
While provincial health officials suggested the 2024 numbers might be an anomaly due to smaller caseloads, statistics indicate a consistent pattern of lower approval rates compared to national trends since 2022.
Penner is now considering a second opinion, but the process of finding additional assessors in Manitoba presents its own challenges, with a limited number available, particularly in rural areas.
