(1) Unless the court appoints some other person, a person authorized under the Act to conduct legal proceedings in the name of the patient or on the patient's behalf is entitled to be the next friend of the patient in any proceedings to which the authority extends.
(2) Where nobody has been appointed by the court or authorized under the Act, a person who satisfies the conditions set out in rule 23.6 may be a patient's next friend without a court order.
(3) In Saint Lucia, the curator appointed under the Civil Code (Cap. 4.01) is to act as the next friend of a patient unless the court otherwise orders.