The Solicitor-General, Mr Christopher Pryde, made an urgent application late yesterday (18.8.10) in the High Court before Justice Wati in order to allow doctors at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (“CWM”) to perform life saving surgery on a 6 month old infant. The infant who had developed an infection in its leg needed the urgent surgery to prevent the infection spreading. The parents had refused to consent to the procedure and the Medical Superintendent at the CWM contacted the Attorney-General’s Chambers for assistance.
Mr Pryde said “The court has an inherent jurisdiction in cases such as these to override the parent’s objections to allow doctors to perform necessary life saving medical treatment. The state made an urgent ex parte application to the High Court last night and was granted the necessary orders to allow the doctors to operate on the infant. Had the doctors not operated, the medical opinion was that the child would, in all likelihood, not have survived.”
Other orders granted by the court restrained the parents from interfering with any medical procedure, surgery or treatment which in the opinion of the medical staff at CWM was necessary for the infant. Fortunately, the reports we have received today from the hospital indicate the surgery was successful and the infant is now in a stable condition” he said. The matter was called again this morning (19.8.10) and the court has ordered that the matter be referred back to it for mention on 2 September 2010 to check on the progress of the infant.
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