Canadian Health Policy Question - Who owns the bullet?

[Gavanshir]

Hello, I'm wondering if anyone knows the answer to this..

 

If a patient arrives to the hospital in Canada with a bullet inside of him, who owns the bullet? The shooter? The victim? The hospital? The police?

 

Same question with a knife and a stabbing victim. Who owns the knife if it remains inside of the patient's body?

 

And what about removed organs or body parts?

[Jochi1543]

Interesting question. I don't know the official answer, but I would venture to say that the knife and bullet belong to the police - they are evidence.

 

Removed organs and body parts are generally incinerated after pathology's done. Some might be used for educational/display purposes. I am not sure whether that would require consent from the patient or the family, but I imagine it would, especially if the patient passed away, since some people consider it very important that a person is buried with all their organs, etc.

[future_doc]

If patient is alive, nobody can force the patient to have the foreign body removed. So, in that case, the foreign body belongs to the patient. Once removed, it constitues police ecidence. If dead, there will be an autospy and the foreign body, bullet or knife, consitute evidence, ownership is not relevant.