Medical malpractice insurance is mandatory in UAE to start any position in the medical field. It protects physicians and other healthcare professionals against financial losses purported while rendering professional services. Read this blog to know more about medical malpractice policy.

Most times we fail to acknowledge that medical practitioners are humans too. Humans with feelings, emotions, good days, bad days, overwhelming days, days of triumph and many more. As such it is comprehensible at some point that errors and faults occur. In addition to the added stress, pressure and high expectations of ‘curing the world’, these medical practitioners are under the scrutiny of many.

“Malpractice” is a phrase commonly known in the medical field and dreaded because of the legal, moral and ethical fight to follow. Malpractice happens when a medical practitioner or professional fails to give appropriate treatment or action when diagnosing, treating, omitting or neglecting any part of a patient’s condition. Malpractice or negligence is also known as a medical error and usually can have medical professionals face legal repercussions and liabilities, should their negligence and failure to provide adequate care cause an injury, disability or worse, death of their patient(s). 

As a result, how can these medical practitioners and professionals shield themselves from the legal liabilities that ensue? What kind of protection can help ensure cover from overwhelming lawsuits that can be a financial strain to these medical professionals and render risks to their careers?

Medical Malpractice Insurance                               

Medical malpractice insurance is a kind of liability insurance that helps with protecting medical practitioners from the (legal and financial) repercussions of negligence and error that occur, should the patient sustain bodily injury in any way.  

The good news is that having valid medical malpractice insurance is mandatory by law in the UAE to start any position in the medical field. You will not be allowed to practice without a medical malpractice insurance policy.

Who are these medical professionals or practitioners?

The aforementioned medical practitioners include anyone in the medical field involved in the patient’s test, diagnosis, treatment and care.

• Doctors
• Surgeons
• Nurses
• Lab technicians
• Paramedical staff

Features of medical malpractice insurance

Knowing that medical malpractice insurance is meant to protect practitioners’ financial and legal interests in the event of a malpractice lawsuit, how exactly does it safeguard medical professionals’ interests and what does it entail?

Errors in diagnosis

Misdiagnosed or delayed illnesses or conditions of patients occur for various reasons:

• Knowledge-based inaccuracy
• Issue of information transfer between practitioners
• Lack of experience with patients
• Lack of time with patients

Misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis, although having occurred due to various factors, can be consequential to the patients in question and may render repercussions for the medical practitioners involved. Lawsuits filed for medical malpractice can be quite sensitive and overwhelming to be faced alone. The right medical malpractice insurance plan will help tackle such unfortunate events, and safeguard these medical practitioners’ best interests, should they face a lawsuit for the same.

Incorrect treatment

This happens in the unfortunate event where the diagnosis may have been accurate but the treatment and care that follow may have been incorrect or administered incorrectly. This may have likely taken place where an error in judgement of the practitioner leads to:

• The use of an incorrect treatment for a condition or illness
• The wrong dose may have been administered for a particular medication

Incorrect medication/prescription

When an incorrect medication has been prescribed to a patient or an incorrect dose has been administered for the right medication, the practitioner may be held accountable on many accounts, should the patient suffer side-effects from the same.

Failure to treat illness

If for some reason, the medical practitioner was unable to treat or administer treatment either at the right time (delays) or treat at all (negligence), leading to a compromised state of the patient in question, the practitioner may be held responsible. It is important for the practitioner to be prepared for the consequences and use medical malpractice insurance.

Causing pain or distress to the patient

If for some reason, a medical practitioner was found causing pain to the patient, they can be held liable for the same. It is important to note that medical professions are amongst the noblest of professions. However, with the amount of stress and pressure each professional faces daily, it is comprehensible that as humans, they burn out causing discomfort to patients-most of which is unintentional.

Negligence/errors in treatment and surgery

Once in a while, despite the many meticulous years of studying and training, medical professionals such as surgeons etc, make errors through negligence, omission or poor judgements that bring unfortunate consequences to the patient, making the practitioner responsible for the error caused. To protect these practitioners and prepare for such contingencies, an appropriate medical malpractice insurance plan will help curb such occurrences.

Importance of medical malpractice insurance

Being humans, with feelings and emotions, ups and downs, good days and bad days, even medical practitioners who save lives on a daily basis are bound to face unfortunate occurrences. Note that saving lives isn’t an easy job.  And in such unfortunate events where a patient may have been left harmed or injured, these practitioners may be faced with                                        professional liabilities. It is for this reason that medical malpractice insurance is advised to acquire in most parts of the world, including the UAE. Holding valid medical malpractice insurance is mandatory by law, one cannot even begin to practise medicine without one. As heavy a requirement as it is, medical malpractice insurance is only meant to protect medical and healthcare professionals from various liabilities that may follow.

Where, on one side, the interests of these medical practitioners are taken into consideration, medical malpractice insurance also works as a compensation for the patient who may have been equally compromised in some way.

To protect you as a health or medical practitioner or professional from liabilities from an error caused, ensure protection with medical malpractice insurance. Click here to get a quote and our professionals will reach out to you soon!

Until then, go on and continue saving lives like you do.