Litigations leading to decline in medical specialists
- Published on 13 Jan 2016
- HR Pulse News Desk
ANA reports that according to an article published in the SA Medical Journal (SAMJ), the increase in litigation cases against doctors in the private sector is leading to a decline in medical specialists.
In response to the heavy legal costs due to claims against them by patients, specialists were resorting to leaving the private sector. Although some cases might be genuine, often patients sought financial gain from incidents that had no evidence, resulting in doctors incurring huge costs defending actions in court, the publication reported in its January issue. “Specialists will either change professions or go to greener pastures overseas.
Many may just go to the public sector,” said Chris Bateman, from the Health and Medical Publishing Group and news editor of SAMJ. The article also said specialists were beginning to avoid certain high-risk procedures to avoid potential lawsuits.
Source: SA Labour News
