In what could be the final meeting for the members of the Legislative Assembly (LA) before the governor dissolves the parliament on 26 March, Cabinet has approved the Mental Health Bill for tabling in the LA Monday (11).

The Health Minister, Mark Scotland, said he was hopeful of the Bill being passed, as it would be a significant achievement, given that the current legislation is 15 years old and does not address any of the major changes that have happened in recent years.

He said, the new bill would take into account new treatments and has dealt with weaknesses identified in the old law, focused on improved patient centred care and protected patients’ rights, especially when they are detained involuntarily for treatment.

The Bill would also establish a mental health commission, Scotland added, and it would hear appeals from mental health patients. Different detention orders regarding observation and treatment of patients as well as their medical needs was also included in it.

“The next step once the bill was passed,” he said, “is a mental health policy, followed eventually by a much needed specialist facility. The government has already engaged with the private sector about the creation of a mental health care centre.”

Other bills to be tabled would be the already announced amendments to the Marine Conservation Law regarding stingrays together with the new limitations on board members, minor amendments to the National Cultural Foundation’s legislation, Health Practitioner’s Law, Human Transplant Bill, and bills that relate to last year’s budget and fee increases affecting the offshore sector.

The Human Tissue and Transplant Law will regulate the use of human tissue and establish a council to monitor compliance. It will allow organ donation schemes in Cayman to save lives and allow lawful organ transplant operations. The Law will also deal with live donations prohibiting the trading in human organs or tissue.

This is all part of the deal the previous government had executed with Indian heart surgeon Dr. Devi Shetty to bring his proposed health city to Grand Cayman. Work is already underway at the hospital site.

The Cabinet was having a business meeting ahead of the LA with other members to try and reach consensus on the above-mentioned bills.