Council reminds doctors about registration and indemnity requirements

As part of this year’s process, doctors will be asked to comply with new requirements relating to professional indemnity following the introduction of the Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Act 2017. This amendment involves new mandatory legal requirements for all doctors currently registered or applying to register with the Medical Council regarding levels of professional medical indemnity. Doctors currently registered with the Council will be requested to confirm their professional indemnity.

The Council’s Director of Registration and Business Process Improvement Mr Philip Brady said: “Professional indemnity is a mandatory requirement and will protect the practitioner against claims arising in respect of medical malpractice, negligence and other civil claims that arise from a breach of duty associated with their practice as a doctor.”

“Most practitioners already have professional indemnity in place and the only change for those doctors will be completing the appropriate declaration and in some cases providing a copy of their indemnity cover certificate to the Council.

“Some practitioners may have to review the level of indemnity they have to ensure they have the correct level of cover to cover the scope of their practise.”

He added: “All doctors practising medicine in Ireland must have indemnity cover appropriate to the nature of their employment/practice arrangement and their area of practice.”

All registered doctors have been written to with the relevant information and have until 30 June 2018 to retain their registration.