The number of legal claims against doctors has reached record levels, according to a report.
|||The number of legal claims against doctors has reached record levels, the Sunday Times reported.
In total, 2903 legal claims were lodged against doctors in 2010/11 - 200 more than the previous year, according to the Health Professions Council of SA.
Misconduct cases included 45 cases of substance or drug abuse, 48 cases of alcohol dependency, 28 cases of bipolar disorder and 12 cases of schizophrenia.
The SA Medical Association (Sama), which represents 17,500 doctors, has blamed the increase in claims on a medical malpractice campaign launched by the council.
More than 1000 claims were being processed by the Medical Protection Society, which provides professional insurance to doctors, the weekly reported. - Sapa