Bernard Allen
Ceist:270 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps he has taken to deal with the indemnity crisis facing obstetrics. [18885/01]
Written Answers. - Obstetrics Indemnity.
I had a number of meetings in the past year with representatives of the two medical defence bodies which provide indemnity cover for Irish doctors, the Medical Defence Union and the Medical Protection Society. As well as discussing the overall problem of the increasing cost of meeting claims, I have been made aware of the specific problems associated with the cost of obstetric claims. In relation to the immediate problem posed by the increase in the subscriptions charged by the Medical Defence Union to obstetricians, I am satisfied that the willingness of the Medical Protection Society to take remaining obstetric members of the Medical Defence Union into membership at its existing rate of £51,600 means that there is no indemnity crisis in obstetrics. The Government is pressing ahead with its proposal to introduce enterprise liability in 2002 which will substantially deal with this issue. I have also established a group to examine the possibility of introducing a "no fault" compensation scheme for brain-damaged infants.