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There's currently no obligation for doctors to have insurance but there soon will be

Does your doctor have medical indemnity insurance?

AS IT STANDS there is no obligation in the Medical Practitioners Act that makes it compulsory for doctors to have medical indemnity insurance.

That means there is no guarantee that patients would be able to seek redress in the event of a medical mishap or negligent care.

New laws are now being steered through the Oireachtas by the Health Minister Leo Varadkar to make it compulsory for all medical practitioners to have minimum levels of indemnity.

The State provides medical indemnity to practitioners in public hospitals as standard. However, doctors carrying out work in private hospitals or clinics must provide their own cover.

The Department of Health says the likelihood of encountering an uninsured doctor is very low however, the consequences for a patient could be very serious if something went wrong. Minister Varadkar said,

Given the high cost of litigation and the long term consequences of some adverse events, this is very welcome legislation because it’s patient-focused and progressive.

The Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill will make it mandatory for medical practitioners who are engaged in medical practice to provide evidence of minimum levels of indemnity cover to the Medical Council, when they are applying for registration and when they renew their registration annually. The Minster added:

“This new law will mean that medical practitioners won’t be able to register to practise unless they provide evidence of adequate indemnity cover. This can only be of benefit to patients.”

Read: Doctors warn general practice in Ireland is ‘on the brink of collapse’>

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16 Comments
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    Mute William Nunan
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    Sep 29th 2014, 2:52 PM

    In the litigious climate, encourages by the legal profession, it would be a very stupid doctor that would provide services to patients without insurance.
    The situation will arise that patients, who are deemed prone to suing, will be asked to take their business elsewhere.
    Is this the only issue that the minister is acting upon? Hope that he also attends to the more pressing immediate issues of overcrowding and under resourcing in the Health system.

    31
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    Mute Truthy Truth
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    Sep 29th 2014, 3:01 PM

    what litigious climate?

    Don’t be brainwashed by insurance company adds or there friends in government and the media.

    6
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    Mute Eoin Sheehy
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    Sep 29th 2014, 7:48 PM

    Ireland is MASSIVELY litigious, it’s most likely that every doctor will be sued at least once in their careers.

    18
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    Mute Truthy Truth
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    Sep 29th 2014, 1:42 PM

    If a doctor has no insurance then a person can sue those who allowed him to practice without insurance i.e, the hse or the medical board

    Amazing that you have to have insurance for a honda 50 and none for working with vulnerable and sick people.

    23
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    Mute Jason Bourne
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    Sep 29th 2014, 1:48 PM

    This is Ireland.

    14
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    Mute significantrisk
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    Sep 29th 2014, 2:14 PM

    Nothing at all to do with the HSE – all doctors working in the HSE are insured through the Clinical Indemnity Scheme. Many of us also have additional cover taken out privately.

    Likewise the medical council has nothing to do with insurance – they certify qualifications and competence, insurance isn’t their problem.

    51
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    Mute Eggfuel
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    Sep 29th 2014, 1:56 PM

    Listen the rot will set in here too… insurance companies greedy for more revenue streams… They take take and it’s not for our benefit that they offer insurance… the costs will be passed on to u and me the tax payer and quotes to doctors will become higher in areas where people feel the need to claim for every little grievance and start a snowball effect of doctors moving out of an area or refusing medical advice to troublesome people.. believe me that we will loose in the long run as we do with every other insurance.. look at workplace claims and hse protocol… It will follow same way… I appreciate its needed in some cases but they are rare and this insurance will cause a lot of new issues….

    20
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    Mute Joseph O'Regan
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    Sep 29th 2014, 3:03 PM

    Why all of a sudden? The costs of this will be pushed on to the patients? Has this anything to do with the American health insurance companies just waiting to snap up the health insurance market just like they did in Holland? Is this the way the Government has of compensating them because UHC has been delayed? Another nail in the coffin of the Public health care system in this country. The Government is systematically dismantling our public system and handing it over to profiteers.

    11
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    Mute Anne Marie Devlin
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    Sep 29th 2014, 3:43 PM

    @ Joseph. You’ve hit the nail on the head. It turns out that all doctors are insured – but through the HSE. Someone deciding to start a panic. HSE cover will soon be removed and doctors will have to insure themselves privately with a major company. sounds like an Enda plan

    12
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    Mute Joe Harbison
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    Sep 29th 2014, 5:14 PM

    Actually most doctors are covered by the State Clinical Indemnity scheme if involved in Public Practice. Some docs like Obs and Gynaes are covered to an extent for private practice too because otherwise they couldn’t afford to practice. They had to bring it in when annual costs went up to about €80,000 per doctor per annum.The SIS only covers for claims though. It often won’t cover for legal representation and other legal costs though. This is why most doctors have supplementary insurance.

    9
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    Mute Paddy Hannigan
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    Sep 29th 2014, 2:51 PM

    Dont the HSE already have a scheme in place to cover its employees? This sounds like a protection racket. I wonder what connections the civil service pencil pusher who brought this up has with the Irish insurance industry.

    5
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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Sep 29th 2014, 2:31 PM

    OK, so a doctor who has lied about details of their Medical Education / Postgraduate Training in order to attain Medical Council Registration would presumably also be obliged to provide the same details to an insurer.
    Interesting, because if a background check were to be carried out on a bogus doctor, it may turn out they are not actually indemnified owing to false information provided in relation to their medical qualification. This would get an insurance company off the hook, and possibly the HSE as well, in cases where the HSE had “reasonably checked” the doctors insurance details, but not checked the actual information on their record.
    … Just sayin….

    4
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    Mute Jason Bourne
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    Sep 29th 2014, 1:53 PM

    Good news, but to see what happens after this act, years down the road, look no further than the situation in the US and probably others countries now as well.

    If anyone of ye have Netflix or similar medium, I recommend the documentary ‘Hot Coffee’.

    It’s about legislation that was passed to protect the medical services & industry from how much they actually have to pay in compensation when they are proven to be liable for malpractice.

    Worth a watch.

    3
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    Mute CeannComhairleDollop
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    Sep 29th 2014, 3:54 PM

    They’d want to have it as they havent a clue what their at most of the time.

    2
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    Mute Darragh DB O'Neill
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    Sep 29th 2014, 7:05 PM

    This will add to the cost of a GP visit, not sure thats the best idea.

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    Mute Ronan Donhoe
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    Sep 30th 2014, 1:26 AM

    Unlikely as most if not all (I don’t know any who don’t) have insurance already. I pay nearly 8000 a year, which is already factored into the cost of running my practice

    1
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