17.—(1) A forensic pathologist making an investigation under section 16 may —
(a)
view the body at the place where the body is lying or order the body to be removed to some more convenient place and view the body at that place;
(b)
require any medical practitioner or healthcare practitioner to furnish, within such time as the forensic pathologist may specify —
(i)
a detailed report, to the best of the medical practitioner’s or healthcare practitioner’s knowledge, on the medical treatment or care rendered to the deceased before that person’s death;
(ii)
such medical records or healthcare records pertaining to the medical treatment or care of the deceased as the forensic pathologist may require; and
(iii)
any other information, substance or thing pertaining to the medical treatment or care of the deceased in the possession of the medical practitioner or healthcare practitioner which the forensic pathologist considers necessary for the purposes of the investigation;
(ba)
request the Registrar to furnish, within such time as the forensic pathologist may specify, any information pertaining to the medical history, treatment or care of the deceased in the possession of the Registry that the forensic pathologist considers necessary for the purposes of the investigation; and
(c)
request the Coroner to direct the police to provide such assistance as the forensic pathologist may require to investigate the cause of and circumstances connected with the death.
(2) Any medical practitioner or healthcare practitioner who is required by a forensic pathologist under subsection (1)(b) to provide any report, record, information, substance or thing and who —
(a)
without reasonable excuse, fails to provide the report, record, information, substance or thing;
(b)
provides any report, record or information which he or she knows or believes to be false or incomplete; or
(c)
tampers or destroys, or causes or permits the tampering or destruction of, any report, record, substance or thing pertaining to the medical treatment or care of the deceased,
shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both.
(3) The Registrar, or any Registry officer, agent of the Registry or other person who acts under the direction of the Registrar —
(a)
must comply with a request under subsection (1)(ba) to furnish information to the forensic pathologist, despite any restriction on the disclosure of information imposed by section 8 of the National Registry of Diseases Act 2007; and
(b)
is not by so doing to be treated as being in breach of any such restriction, despite anything to the contrary in that section.
(4) In this section, “agent of the Registry”, “Registrar”, “Registry” and “Registry officer” have the meanings given by the National Registry of Diseases Act 2007.