Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 76A.djvu/455

–359– -359individual whose hospitalization has been sought under this chapter together with clinical information relating to such patients, snail be kept confidential and shall not be disclosed by any person except insofar as: (1) the individual identified, or his legal guardian, if any (or if he is a minor, his parent or legal guaraian), consents; or (2) disclosure may be necessary to carry out any of the provisions of this chapter; or (3) a court may direct, upon its determination that disclosure is necessary for the conduct of proceedings before it and that failure to make disclosure would be contrary to the public interest. (b) Nothing in this section precludes disclosure, upon proper inquiry, of information concerning current medical condition to the members of the immediate family of a patient. (c) Whoever violates any provision of this section shall be fined not more than $500 or imprisoned in jail not more than one year, or both. § 1649. Discharge upon medical review (a) The head of a hospital shall cause the condition of every patient to be reviewed as frequently as is consistent with good medical practice, and whenever the head of a hospital determines that the conditions justifying hospitalization no longer exist, the patient shall be discharged even if he was admitted on his own application and regardless of section 1635(a)(1) of this title, and the Health Bureau so notified. (b) If the patient was admitted on other than his own application, notice of the discharge shall also be given to any one of the lollowing persons: the patient^ legal guardian, parent or parents, spouse, or next of kin, or, if none is known, to any other interested party, and, if the patient was hospitalized pursuant to section 1637 of this title, to the judge of the district court. § 1650. Discharge other than upon medical review (a) A patient may be discharged by the head of a hospital without regard to the patient's condition in any case in which: (1) the patient has been ordered excluded or deported from the Canal Zone; (2) arrangments have been made, in the case of persons having a transient status in the Canal Zone, for the patient's departure from the Canal Zone; or (3) arrangements have been made for the patient's transfer to another jurisdiction for treatment. (b) Notice of discharge under this section shall be given as prescribed by section 1649 of this title. § 1651. Discharge of prisoners Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, whenever a patient: (1) is under the unexpired sentence of a court; or (2) was committed to a hospital pursuant to section 4864 of Title 6 and the criminal proceedings against him are still pending; or (3) was committed to a hospital pursuant to sections 4456 and 4457 of Title 6— the head of the hospital shall only discharge the patient into the custody of the warden of the institution from which he was taken, or in the case of commitments pursuant to section 4864 of Title 6, to the warden of the jail.

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