Vol. 461 No. 4
72 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Health the concerns, if any, he has at the recent massive hikes in medical indemnity insurance for doctors announced by the Medical Protection Society; the amount by which the planned increases will add to his Department's bill for consultants' and general practitioners' medical indemnity payments in 1996; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2901/96]
Limerick East): The precise financial effect on the health service of the recently announced changes to the medical indemnity rates charged by the Medical Protection Society is not quantifiable at this stage.
My Department has been concerned with the growing cost of medical indemnity cover for doctors in the public health service. This country has, in common with all developed countries, experienced a significant growth, both in the number and in the average cost of civil claims against doctors.
While the Deputy will appreciate that the issues involved are extremely complex, touching as they do on fundamental rights under the Constitution, my Department has taken a number of initiatives to reduce costs. These include the introduction of a group medical indemnity scheme in 1992 which provides cover for non-consultant hospital doctors, public health doctors, and dentists employed by health boards and some others. A number of risk management pilot projects have also been established in health agencies around the country with the object of identifying and eliminating adverse incidents which give rise to claims.
