Syed Hussein Al -Qassab
The Shura Council approved the report of the Services Committee that it is permissible to consider the proposal of a law on medical responsibility “in its amended form.”
The decision of the committee, Dr. Ibtisam Al -Dalal, stated that the proposal by a law aims to strengthen the legislative system that supports and updates the health sector in a way that coincides with the latest developments in modern medicine, by establishing a legal framework that clearly defines responsibilities, rights and obligations for all parties to the medical relationship.
She indicated that the proposal also aims to establish the Supreme Committee for Medical Responsibility and regulate insurance against civil responsibility for medical errors, in addition to finding a unified organization that brings together the provisions of medical responsibility in one law.
Al -Dalal stressed that the proposal of a law that supports investment in the health sector in Bahrain, as the existence of an independent law that addresses the provisions of medical responsibility is a vital tool for attracting investors; Given that it enhances confidence in the health system, creates a stable investment environment by providing a clear framework to deal with medical errors, and explains the responsibilities caused by them accurately, which enables investors to assess risk and take deliberate decisions regarding their investments.
For her part, the head of the Services Committee, Jamila Al -Salman, confirmed that the statistics related to medical errors revealed the registration of 42 medical errors in 2024, compared to 57 medical errors during the year 2023.
It indicated that 320 complaints were submitted to the National Authority for the Regulatory of Health Professions and Services “Nahr” in 2023, while the authority completed the treatment of 358 complaints in the same year.
She indicated that 358 complaints were recorded in the year 2024, and a “river” in 287 of them looked and closed.
She pointed out that the Minister of Health, in an answer to a parliamentary question in November 2024, reported the amount of compensation spent by government hospitals and primary health care centers in implementation of final judicial rulings regarding medical errors, as it amounted to 100,000 dinars.
Al -Salman added that the proposal includes great benefits.
She stressed the importance of organizing procedures for protecting patients’ secrets, and setting specific exceptions for that, in addition to organizing the provisions of the informed approval in their details.
In turn, the second deputy chairman of the Shura Council, Dr. Jihad Al -Fadil, expressed some observations and visuals in the committee’s report.
