Medical Protection Society (MPS) has announced that its members in South Africa will soon benefit from a more local service, with cases and clinical negligence claims to be handled within the country, and Pretoria based expert Ulundi Behrtel appointed to head up the expansion.
MPS is the world’s leading protection organisation for doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals, supporting more than 300,000 members around the world – with nearly 32,000 of those in South Africa. In 2019 alone, it supported members in South Africa with more than 3,000 medical and dental cases – ranging from complaints through to more complex issues such as claims of clinical negligence, HPCSA matters, inquests and criminal investigations.
With the additional services soon to be available in-country, MPS’s support for members will be geographically more accessible than ever before. The move will enable MPS to better understand and address the concerns of members in South Africa, and will also provide it with greater clarity on the risks and trends faced by practitioners.
Appointed as head of service delivery in South Africa, clinical negligence expert Ulundi Behrtel will join MPS on 2 March, with a remit to manage the delivery of the new services and a plan to have the office – which is likely to be situated in Pretoria – fully operational in the next 12-18 months.
Ulundi is a lawyer, holding a Certificate in Medicine and Law from the University of South Africa, with an extensive background in medical law and malpractice. She has worked as in-house legal adviser on professional conduct to the registrar at the South African Nursing Council, as senior military law officer in the South African Military Health Service, as senior state law adviser and researcher to the South Africa Law Reform Commission, and as the head of the Human Rights, Law and Ethics Unit at the South African Medical Association.
Most recently, Ulundi has been claims manager at EthiQal Medical Risk Protection in South Africa.
The expanding MPS business in South Africa has also been boosted by another key appointment. Graham Craig has taken up the post of new regional business development lead for South Africa, bringing a wealth of experience from the financial services industry, including several senior executive roles and most recently the position of CEO of AA Insurance. During Graham’s career he has been responsible for geographical expansion, strategy and innovation for several national and multi-national companies.
Ulundi Behrtel, commented: “I am delighted to join MPS and play a leading role in continuing the growth and development it has seen for more than 60 years in South Africa. MPS has a long tradition of supporting doctors and dentists in South Africa and I am looking forward to building on this and becoming even closer to members than we have been previously.”
Graham Craig, commented: “MPS is a market leader with a proud history, and I was attracted to the fact that MPS operates across the world, which will enable me to gain insight and access trends that are happening globally. The MPS values are extremely closely aligned to my personal values. I am ambitious, tenacious and customer focused, and thrive in environments where accountability and empowerment are the norm.”
Melanie Rowles, director of delivery services at MPS, added: “Getting closer to members wherever they are in the world is a key part of the MPS strategy, which is designed to ensure we are best placed to meet the increasingly diverse range of issues faced by doctors, dentists and other healthcare professionals.
“I am thrilled to welcome both Ulundi and Graham into the organisation. With the appointment of two such high calibre individuals, members in South Africa are going to benefit enormously from the expertise that they bring.”
Issued by Mike Bridge, press officer, MPS