Patients’ lobby demands legal duty to report medical errors

DOCTORS and hospitals should be legally obliged to tell the truth to patients and their families when a medical accident occurs, according to a new lobby group.

The advocacy group Medical Injuries Alliance (MIA) said Department of Health estimates indicate that up to 160,000 people may be injured every year as a result of medical accidents.

MIA also said HSE and hospital data suggests that thousands of people die prematurely because they are not examined in emergency departments on time.