“If a physician makes a large incision with the operating knife and kills him, or open a tumour with the operating knife, and cut out the eye, his hands shall be cut off.” Table 218 Code of Hammurabi The Code of Hammurabi is the world’s oldest medical handbook found buried in the Nupur ruins after […]
Concerned about the state of your private practice as a result of declining patient numbers? Here are some tips to help you thrive once again – from ethical advertising, to forums working to enhance industry relations, and the role of professional indemnity throughout. By Vanessa Rogers. Medical practitioners in private practice have experienced a significant […]
We now have the next (and final?) edition of the National Health Insurance Bill which, aspirationally and inspirationally, seeks to achieve universal access to quality healthcare services in the Republic of South Africa in accordance with section 27 of the Constitution. According to the preamble, the Bill seeks to achieve the progressive realisation of the […]
Medical malpractice insurance is a practical necessity in the current litigious environment, writes Aneesa Bodiat ofNatmed Medical Defence , as an unfavourable judgment can lead to severe financial and reputation consequences. Some of the most serious cases, for example where healthcare practitioners are found to be negligent in causing a minor child to suffer a […]
Understandably, faced with very long prison sentences if convicted of murder, Professor Davison has concluded a court-approved plea and sentencing deal in pleading guilty to murder in respect of the three cases in which he assisted three persons in their death. For all three cases he received an eight year prison sentence wholly suspended, with […]
What new issues have medical malpractice insurance providers needed to consider since the outbreak of COVID-19? One of these is the fact that doctors may now be providing care outside of their area of specialty, while another may relate to unscrupulous individuals attempting to make money out of an overstretched medical system operating in crisis […]
The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) has recognised the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak and provided special guidelines that will apply during the pandemic. The HPCSA will continue to operate, but with restrictions. For example, professional conduct inquiries and in-person mediations will be suspended during the lockdown period. Complaints will still be processed, […]
Simply put, ethics (derived from the Greek word ‘ethos’ [behaviour]) – is a branch of philosophy dealing with questions about wrong versus right, and what is good or bad. Ethics are guided by the morals, tenets, rules and practices set by society. Behaviour that does not conform to these ‘rules’ of a society are considered unethical. […]
A review of the medical negligence cases from the past couple of years reveals that most of the cases that make it to court are related to birth injuries, and most of those are ones in which the baby has suffered a brain injury which caused cerebral palsy, says Aneesa Bodiat, head of legal at […]