Many faces of MPS

MPS has its own specialist team in the country that is ready to meet you face-to-face, should the need arise. Rosie Roarty and Gareth Gillespie spoke to your representatives from the medical and marketing teams

Here when things go wrong

Dr Tony Behrman and Dr Liz Meyer, medicolegal consultants 

In South Africa, there are currently two medicolegal consultant positions, created by MPS 11 years ago, to assist and support MPS members.

We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on our mobile phones. Members can phone either of us at any time to obtain advice, support or assistance. As we are currently only two consultants and there are approximately 26,000 health professionals as MPS members in South Africa, we are both kept extremely busy with calls, meetings and presentations.

Although most of the requests for assistance relate to matters arising directly from our members’ professional practice, we do often get requests for advice regarding practice management and financial issues. We may only advise on the latter on an ad hoc basis, but do not assist further with legal assistance, as these enquiries fall outside the described ambit, ie, assistance for problems arising from professional practice.

Neither do we assist with labour issues. However, there are always exceptions! As a result of the hospital doctors’ national strike during June 2009, we were inundated by calls from panicky junior doctors! Fortunately, we were usually able to alleviate their concerns with telephone advice and reassurance. Often, availability and a willing ear is all that is required!

We often receive desperate pleas for help from community service doctors and interns. They are in an invidious position in South Africa – working in poorly-equipped public hospitals with demoralised staff. Often they find themselves unsupervised and without the essential training, support, experience and skills to manage a clinical situation. Once again, MPS assistance is but a phone call away.

Coming soon...

A third MPS medicolegal consultant, based in Johannesburg, is due to be appointed in the coming months. Check out the next issue of Junior Doctor to find out more about your new adviser!