Medical Protection Society (MPS) – the world’s leading medical defence organisation which protects and supports the professional interests of more than 30,000 healthcare professionals in South Africa - has announced the appointment of Karen Miller as its next Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

A new survey has revealed the damaging effects load-shedding has inflicted on the medical profession with 86% of healthcare practitioners saying it is posing a significant threat to patient safety and 75% saying it is impacting their mental wellbeing.

One in five doctors (20%) in Malaysia say they are considering their future in healthcare due to mental wellbeing concerns, and nearly a quarter (24%) cite the impact of exhaustion or burnout on patient safety as a key factor affecting their mental wellbeing.

More than a third of healthcare practitioners in South Africa (35%) say their mental wellbeing is worse now than it was during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a quarter (25%) are considering leaving the medical profession or retiring early due to mental wellbeing concerns, according to the Medical Protection.

The MPS Foundation has announced a research competition for medical interns in Ireland, to improve patient safety, mitigate risk and enhance the wellbeing of healthcare professionals and the wider healthcare community.

Medical Protection has called for significant changes in how the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) investigates allegations of unprofessional conduct against healthcare practitioners.

Medical Protection launches the 'Your profession needs you. Supporting doctors to become expert witnesses' campaign to encourage a wider pool of medical experts working in Ireland.

Medical Protection has called on the Irish government to do more to tackle the rising cost of clinical negligence claims, including introducing a pre-action protocol.