Report No. 201

(C) "Emergency Medical Treatment to a person who is in emergency medical condition.

Stabilising a person:

If a person is in an emergency medical condition, as revealed by the screening, he must be given emergency medical treatment including stabilization and further treatment.

We propose to define 'emergency medical treatment' as follows:

"'Emergency medical treatment' means the action that is required to be taken, after screening of a person injured in an accident or who is in an emergency medical condition, as to the stabilization of the person and the rendering of such further treatment as may, in the opinion of the hospital or medical practitioner be necessary for the purpose of preventing aggravation of the medical condition of the person or his death and in the case of a pregnant woman, for the purpose of safe delivery and safeguarding the life of the woman and the child."

"Stabilization with respect to an emergency condition means -

(i) to provide such medical treatment of the condition as may be necessary to assure, within reasonable medical probability, that no material deterioration of the condition is likely to result from or occur during the transfer of the individual from a facility, or

(ii)to provide, with respect to a pregnant woman who is having contractions, for the safe delivery of the child (including the placenta), and the word 'stabilized' shall be understood accordingly."

Duty of hospital and medical practitioner to stabilize the medical condition is provided in section 5(i)) of the Bill as follows:

"5 Stabilizing the person and transfer- Wherever in respect of a person referred to in section 3, screening, as stated in section (4) has been done and it has been determined that an emergency medical condition exists which requires to be urgently treated, it shall be the duty of the hospital or medical practitioner, as the case may be, subject to the provisions of section 6, either -

(i) to provide, within the staff and facilities available at the hospital or with the medical practitioner, such further medical examination and such medical treatment as may be required to stabilize his medical condition, or

(ii) .. .. .. .. .."