Thursday, 28 March, 2024
HomeMPS Column

MPS Column

Need for national guidelines over criminal charges

The “overwhelming feedback” from South African healthcare professionals is that they remain concerned about criminal and regulatory charges over COVID-19 treatment decisions, writes Dr Graham...

COVID-19: National guidelines needed to support medical profession

The Medical Protection Society (MPS) is calling for the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) to urgently clarify what guidelines healthcare professionals should...

What next for the doctors fighting COVID-19?

It is important to understand that ethics and law are not automatically synonymous, writes Dr Graham Howarth, head of medical services – Africa, MPS....

Have a conversation while you can

This pandemic has raised an opportunity for doctors and their patients to start the worst-case conversation to ensure patients are empowered to make good...

MPS welcomes HPCSA Guidelines on telemedicine

The Medical Protection Society welcomes the Health Professions Council of SA’s updated guidelines on telemedicine, confirming MPS’s position that telemedicine should be supported to...

COVID-19 medico-legal dilemmas for South African practitioners

COVID-19 has thrown up a challenging array of medico-legal dilemmas for SA's healthcare professionals as they try to safe and effective care, writes Dr...

Take note: Doctors want more guidance on record keeping

An MPS survey of South African doctors has found that the overwhelming majority have not undertaken specific training in record keeping and want...

Prosecuting healthcare professionals for culpable homicide – who benefits?

Medical Protection's Graham Howarth, head of medical services (SA) and Tony Behrman, business consultant write: The recent arrest of colleagues on charges of culpable homicide...

The beauty of mediation to ease the trauma of medical negligence litigation

Clinical negligence claims are stressful, costly and time consuming. Moves towards mediation instead of litigation are to be welcomed, writes Dr Tony Behrman,...

The risks and hazards of social media for doctors

Dr Graham Howarth, head of medical services, Africa, at Medical Protection looks at best practice where social media is concerned. Howarth writes: The Health Professions...

We all have a role in tackling the burnout epidemic

Burnout, recently recognised by the World Health Organisation as a syndrome brought about by chronic workplace stress, is reaching epidemic levels, writes Graham...

State doctors need protection more than ever, including from the state

Not only does the State want to lessen its negligence claims burden by now trying to shed its traditional legal responsibility to indemnify...

Tolerating error in an imperfect system

It is time to acknowledge that the healthcare system in South Africa is under unprecedented strain and that doctors should not be held solely...

NHI Bill needs to address indemnity for both doctors and patients

The current draft Bill that limits State compensation in medical negligence cases leaves unclear matters that are important to both practitioners and patients, writes...

Spiralling litigation: Time to strike a balance

Practising in an increasingly litigious society makes for challenging times for medical practitioners, writes Tony Behrman, Medical Protection Society consultant. MPS has made concrete...

Power outages. A medical practitioners' perspective

Since January 2019 over 60% of all major incidents reported in a large chain of national hospitals were related to power outages. MPS business...

Understanding the medico-legal landscape in South Africa

Medical Protection took to the road recently to speak to members face-to-face on a range of topics pertinent to their practice in South Africa....

The legal permutations of being a Good Samaritan

SA doctors have a constitutional duty of care, writes Dr Tony Behrman, consultant for the Medical Protection Society. But unlike some countries where if...

Covering for your colleagues. Responsibility reconfirmed

Dr Tony Behrman, medical business consultant at Medical Protection writes that a recent case heard in the Supreme Court of Appeal SCA 529/2017 has highlighted...