(a)        Notwithstanding the provisions of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 8-53 and N.C. Gen. Stat. § 8-53.13, the physician-patient or nurse privilege shall not be a ground for excluding evidence regarding the abuse or neglect of a child under the age of 16 years or regarding an illness of or injuries to such child or the cause thereof in any judicial proceeding related to a report pursuant to the North Carolina Juvenile Code, Chapter 7B of the N.C. Gen. Stat. of North Carolina.

(b)        Nothing in this Article shall preclude a health care provider, as defined in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-21.11, from disclosing information pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-21.20B. (1965, c. 472, s. 2; 1971, c. 710, s. 2; 1981, c. 469, s. 24; 1998-202, s. 13(b); 2004-186, s. 16.2; 2006-253, s. 18; 2007-115, s. 4.)