Doctors, just like any other human are subject to errors that in some instances have cost lives. In Kenya, there is little done to victims of doctors who fail to discharge their duties well and all too often they get away with it, or in extreme instance slapped with a lawsuit that could kill their careers entirely. But sometimes, things get beyond their control and there is not much they can do in their power.
To protect themselves against errors in their line of duty, Kenyan doctors have proposed an insurance cover against any mishap with their patients starting next year. Fully backed by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) the Insurance cover will have professional indemnity for medics working in both public and private facilities, which follows amendments of the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act came that came into force on May 17, 2019.
“Every practitioner shall in each year take a professional indemnity cover and every health institution shall in each year ensure the health institution against professional liability of its staff,” reads the law.
As a prerequisite for practicing license, all health facilities and medical practitioners required to have professional indemnity insurance according to the amended law. According to insurers, this new package is beneficial to public and private health facilities. To ensure health consumers are safe.
While this sounds like a great deal to protect doctors from losing their careers, what if it promotes more malpractices in the health facilities when doctors have a way to get away with murder?
