More than a quarter of doctors providing legal end-of-life care for terminally ill patients say they are paying for it out of their own pockets.
A survey of 170 GPs and specialists has revealed that practitioners delivering voluntary assisted dying are not being adequately compensated.
Some 27 per cent reported they had provided euthanasia treatments unpaid while almost two‑thirds said their state's remuneration arrangements were inadequate.
Conducted by the peak body Voluntary Assisted Dying Australia and NZ over three months in 2025, practitioners said they felt an ethical discomfort for charging privately for services not covered by Medicare.
The group's president Andrea Bendrups said the critical services could not survive without a financial shot in the arm to offset the doctors' "clinical altruism."
"We are going to extraordinary lengths to shield patients from financial burden, but the system cannot rely indefinitely on the goodwill of practitioners," Dr Bendrups said on Tuesday.
"This is not only a workforce issue, it ultimately affects patient access and continuity of care."
The peak body is calling for dedicated Medicare items recognising the "unique demands" of VAD care and increased numbers of funded hospital roles to provide stability for practitioners.
Voluntary assisted dying based on strict criteria is legal across all Australian states and territories except for the Northern Territory.
All respondents in South Australia and Tasmania reported dissatisfaction, as did 80 per cent of Victorians, the survey showed.
There were about 2500 voluntary assisted deaths nationally in 2024 with three quarters of those cancer-related.
There are about 1200 trained practitioners, according to Go Gentle Australia.
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
