State lawyers received the permission of the courts earlier this week to allow doctors at the CWM Hospital to perform life saving surgery on a 6 month old baby after the parents had refused to give consent to the procedure.

Solicitor General, Christopher Pryde made the urgent application on Wednesday in the High Court before Justice Angela Wati in order to allow the doctors to perform the live saving surgery on the baby.

The baby who had developed an infection in the leg needed urgent surgery to prevent the infection from spreading.

The CWM Medical Superintendent contacted the Attorney General=s chambers for assistance after the parents refused to give consent for the surgery.

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 court granted the necessary orders to allow the doctors to operate on the baby.

Pryde said if the doctors did not carry out the operation, 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 baby.
 
Pryde said the reports they have received today from the hospital indicate the surgery was successful and the baby is now in a stable condition.

The matter will be called again for mention on the 2nd of next month to check on the progress of the child.


Story by: Vijay Narayan