Bill Prompted By Anna Pou Case Gets House Panel Approval
The Associated Press
May 14, 2008, 12:37 PM CDT
BATON ROUGE —
A House panel agreed to a bill prompted
by Anna Pou, the cancer surgeon charged with murder for the deaths
of hospital patients after Hurricane Katrina.
Supporters of the bill say Pou was wrongfully charged with
murder for the deaths of patients in a hospital flooded by Katrina.
And they want to ensure the case doesn't deter medical
professionals from working in Louisiana during disasters.
The measure would establish a three-member disaster medical
panel that the state attorney general or a local district attorney
could use to determine whether medical personnel responded
improperly during a disaster. The panel would issue an advisory
opinion recommending whether prosecutors should proceed with
charges.
But the panel would only be optional for prosecutors, not
mandatory.
The proposal by House Speaker Jim Tucker moves next to the full
House for debate.
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On the Net:
The bill is a substitute to House Bill 838 and can be found at
www.legis.state.la.us.
Copyright © 2008, The Associated Press
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