Old medical negligence claims plan ‘doomed’

A GOVERNMENT plan to force insurers of hospital consultants to foot the bill for old medical negligence claims is unlikely to succeed, according to consultants’ legal representatives.

The Department of Health had hoped consultants would take the British-based Medical Defence Union (MDU) to court if it refused to cover future claims against consultants arising out of allegations of malpractice from the past.

The State is refusing to take on historic liability claims under its own enterprise liability scheme due to be extended to consultants on February 1 and, as a result, consultants are resisting the introduction of the new scheme.