The Health Services Authority (HSA) is aware of the recent media reports involving one of our physicians, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) and a political figure. We take these reports seriously and are committed to providing transparency on the situation and clarification on the blood alcohol testing process.
The process for Blood Alcohol Testing for law enforcement purposes has been in place for some time, and is as follows:
1. The police request a Blood Alcohol Test at the hospital.
2. If the patient is stable and alert, the police explain the legal requirements to them.
3. If the patient consents, the police provide a testing kit with the chain of custody forms, blood tubes and tube seals.
4. The patient signs consent for the blood draw and the tube seals.
5. Once the patient signs consent, the blood is collected and divided into two tubes - one for the police and one for the patient.
6. The police and the physician sign the chain of custody forms.
7. The police send the sample for testing.
This process was recently reinforced through a training of HSA’s physicians led by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and HSA’s Legal Counsel. The training focussed on blood sample provision and Section 86 (2) of the Traffic Act.
The HSA firmly denies any claims that our medical practitioner objected to a police officer’s request for a blood specimen. In this instance, a testing kit was not provided by the RCIPS as per the established procedure.
Our priority continues to be maintaining the highest standards of care, professionalism, and integrity in all operations, which includes our physicians’ and staff’s commitment to supporting and cooperating with law enforcement.
Comments (0)
We appreciate your feedback. You can comment here with your pseudonym or real name. You can leave a comment with or without entering an email address. All comments will be reviewed before they are published.