Insurance cover against medical errors must from June 15

DUBAI - All healthcare professionals, including those practising alternative and complementary medicines, must have insurance cover against medical errors by June 15, as per the recently introduced Federal Medical Liability Law.

On Saturday, Khaleej Times had reported that the Ministry of Health (MoH) has, in a circular, asked all private healthcare practitioners to insure them against medical errors at the earliest.

A senior MoH official on Sunday clarified that the rule has to be complied with before June 15, six months from the date of passing the federal law.

“It has to be implemented in both the government and private sectors alike, irrespective of the stream of medicine being practised. From June 15, nobody will be licensed or given a renewal of licence to practise in the country if they do not produce documents to show that they have availed malpractice insurance from any of the recognised insurance companies in the UAE,”. Head of Medical Liability Department with the MoH Dr Basil A. Badir said.

The MoH had introduced medical malpractice insurance policy in 2004 to cover doctors and other professionals under the ministry against liability claims arising from their treatment procedures. According to an earlier announcement, the MoH was planning to get its doctors and other healthcare workers covered for a medical malpractice insurance of up to Dh1 million.

Insurance cover has now been mandatory for all doctors, nurses, technicians and pharmacists against medical negligence and errors.

However, the amount of insurance cover is not stipulated and can be chosen according to the schemes provided by insurance companies.

A case of malpractice or medical negligence can be filed when there is a wrong diagnosis, wrong treatment, delayed treatment, negligence, medical errors etc.

Cases of malpractice have been so far resolved through the general UAE laws applicable to them.

The medical liability law will now help in addressing the technical and medical aspects and will ensure justice to any patient who has suffered due to the mistakes of the country’s healthcare service system.

Officials said the law has adopted the salient features of the systems existing in the US and Australia to deal with medical errors in healthcare institutions. It has also listed more than a dozen instances of malpractice which should be compulsorily reported to the MoH. ‘We are in the process of setting up a technical advisory committee at the national level to provide professional opinion to courts for handling medical malpractice cases.

So far, the courts were getting the opinion of just the forensic medico-legal expert appointed for the purpose.

Once approved by the Cabinet, the new committee will provide its opinions in medical liability cases,’ said Dr Basil.