Indemnity reforms assure coverage for doctors

3/6/04
The State Government has introduced new medical indemnity reforms to provide ongoing security for doctors and their patients in the Western Australian public health system.
Health Minister Jim McGinty announced today a major overhaul of the Medical Indemnity program covering doctors working in the State's public hospital system.
The changes follow extensive discussions with the Australian Medical Association (WA) and further support the Government's commitment to ensuring the ongoing viability and quality of medical services in WA.
The new arrangements replace temporary measures introduced by the WA Government after patient services were threatened by an indemnity crisis last year.
The temporary measures ensured patients could still be treated in public hospitals by visiting medical practitioners and other non-salaried doctors.
Mr McGinty said the latest reforms contained important improvements.
"These new arrangements mean greater security for doctors and their patients," he said.
"The scope of the cover now extends to more doctors and provides them with greater benefits.
"For example in country areas all doctors working in public hospitals will be covered for services provided to the public and, for the first time, private patients.
"This reform means that medical services to individual patients will not be affected by the decisions the medical practitioners make about their private procedural indemnity cover."
The contractual medical indemnity will also be extended to cover the Department of Health's salaried medical officers. Applying to current and any previous employment periods, the cover extends to all public patients and some categories of private patients treated.
The Minister said the reforms would end the uncertainty surrounding the medical indemnity cover currently provided to more than 2,800 salaried medical officers.
"The issue has been a source of ongoing concern to hospital managers and doctors employed in the public hospital system," he said.
"While the history of this dates back more than a decade, the indemnity crisis of the past 18 months has brought into sharp focus the need to clarify the indemnity applying to salaried doctors.
"Failure to resolve this matter had the potential to jeopardise service delivery and continuity of care."
Mr McGinty said the contractual indemnity for doctors would require full and open support for quality improvement practices such as medical audit and the reporting and investigation of adverse events. This year, the indemnity has been extended to cover these critical activities thereby removing any concerns doctors might have about their participation in these essential clinical governance activities.
AMA (WA) President Dr Brent Donovan welcomed the new package and said it would provide long-term security and stability for doctors.
"The new arrangements mean an end to the uncertainty over indemnity arrangements which have been a major concern for doctors over the past few years," Dr Donovan said.
"We are pleased to have been able to work with Government on such an important and complex issue."
Mr McGinty said the reforms would protect and strengthen the interests of patients and doctors.
"With the assistance of a wide range of stakeholders, we are confident that this year we have turned a very good indemnity into an even better one," he said.
Minister's office: 9220 5000
Australian Medical Association - Stewart Richmond 9273 3018