Commenting on the government’s implementation plan for the recommendations of the Report of Interdepartmental Working Group on the Rising Cost of Health-Related Claims
Sara Grewar, Claims Team Lead at Medical Protection Society (MPS), said:
“MPS welcomes the publication of the Implementation Plan for the recommendations of the Report of Interdepartmental Working Group on the Rising Cost of Health-Related Claims.
“Clinical negligence claims carry a high human and financial cost for everyone involved and we are pleased to see the government committing to imminent action to improve processes.
“Our data shows, medical claims against members in Ireland incur higher legal costs than nearly every country where we have members. The average legal cost for an Ireland claim managed by MPS is €38,673 - which is, for example, 193% more expensive than in the UK (€13,202) and 72% more expensive than in Malaysia (€22,515).
“MPS data also shows that a claim in Ireland takes just over four years (1,478 days) on average to resolve, which is over 60% longer than in the UK, Singapore and Hong Kong.
“The introduction of pre-action protocols is essential to ensuring that the claims process is accelerated and to reduce both the legal costs and the emotional toll for patients and healthcare professionals alike.”
ENDS
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About MPS
The Medical Protection Society Limited (“MPS”) is the world’s leading protection organisation for doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals. We protect and support the professional interests of more than 300,000 members around the world. Membership provides access to expert advice and support and can also provide, depending on the type of membership required, the right to request indemnity for any complaints or claims arising from professional practice.
Our in-house experts assist with the wide range of legal and ethical problems that arise from professional practice. This can include clinical negligence claims, complaints, medical and dental council inquiries, legal and ethical dilemmas, disciplinary procedures, inquests and fatal accident inquiries.