Just recently, I saw the sad news that went viral on social media. A local entrepreneur from Negros Occidental died after going a liposuction procedure in one of the cosmetology clinics in Makati City. A lot of people are speculating if this could be a medical malpractice case.
Another case if from the news I heard over local radio. The parents were devastated when their child died from dengue. They said the child could have lived if the nurse didn’t advise them to go home. If the doctor had checked the kid personally and suggested a CBC, the child would have been diagnosed with dengue and could have a fighting chance with life.
With all the recent news that popped, the thoughts about medical malpractices in the Philippines came to mind. How rampant does this happen in the Philippines?
Medical Malpractices in the Philippines
So, I decided and searched for medical malpractice philippines on Google to see how things are here in my country. Well, I found out that there is little news about this. Base on one of the websites I checked, medical malpractice is one of the more difficult civil cases in the Philippines. It is harder to prove in court. But, I was able to find a piece of recent news on this of a couple lodging a suit to a local hospital in Cebu.
In short, though this case is hard to prove in court, definitely it does happen in the Philippines. And the case
Miscellaneous Casualty Insurance
Though medical malpractice is not every medical practitioner wants to end up with, many have opted to get medical malpractice insurance. This policy covers risk emerging from any inability to render medicinal administrations or a blunder in rendering therapeutic administrations which came about to death, disorder or real damage of the patient. This item is accessible both for hospitals and individual doctors.
This is my first time hearing this. I never thought this type of insurance exists but it does. I guess some people in the medical field have calculated every risk that might happen when things don’t happen accordingly.
Check out Malayan Insurance. They offer Miscellaneous Casualty Insurance.
Medical Malpractice When the Victims are Poor
Remember the couple whose child died because of dengue that I mentioned earlier? Well, they were asked by the listeners to file for a medical malpractice suit against the nurse and the doctor. And guess what? Their reply was that they can’t afford to go through it. That was very unfortunate but true for many.
Thoughts on Medical Malpractices
The only conclusion that I have thought about on medical malpractices in our country is… It does happen! BUT, there are a few cases only that it rarely goes to the media. The cause might be that the victims are poor and could not afford to file a suit. OR that our doctors and all medical practitioners in general here in the Philippines rarely get into trouble because they are careful and dedicated to their jobs. I prefer to believe the latter. I am not an expert on medical or legal fields, but this is from someone who sees from a layman’s eyes.
How about you guys? Have you thought about medical practices here in our county? What are your thoughts about it?