News reports today suggest that Philip Nitschke is in discussions with the Fijian Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, about the possibility of setting up a Dignitas - style death clinic in the Fijian capital of Nadi.
One would hope that the illness and the psychiatric report would be completed in Australia or New Zealand, otherwise, it might be a wasted trip! Two days in the Fijian islands before dying would have some additional tourism benefits, too!
The Stuff.co.nz report says: 'Dr Nitschke said only seriously ill patients who are found by a psychiatrist to be of sound mind would be approved to use the service.
The big selling point, from the news reports at least, would be income from death tourism. Nitschke seems to be suggesting that the clinic could be a government enterprise, undercutting Dignitas' fees and still making a profit for the Pacific nation.
If people met these criteria, a two-day cooling off period would apply before they could take lethal drugs under medical supervision.''
He (Nitschke) said given Dignitas charged about A$12,000 for its service and funerals could cost tens of thousands of dollars, the Fijian government could make money from government taxes on the service, local burial services and "ongoing tourism associated with remembrance of the loved one".
This sounds a lot like Evelyn Waugh's wonderful farce, The Loved One, except Waugh was talking about a Los Angeles pet cemetery - and his work was in jest!
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