Dr Hlombe Makuluma, EthiQal’s Medico Legal advisor, joined the panel discussion at the recent ISAPS (International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) Course. The panel discussion covered a wide range of ethical and legal issues pertaining to Aesthetic Plastic...

Under the banner of ‘Bringing us together’, SASUOG recently hosted its annual conference where Dr Bettina Taylor was invited to speak about EthiQal’s claims experience relating to obstetric and gynaecological ultrasound examination. Aligned with global trends, EthiQal...

Dr Bettina Taylor presented at the recent PMG Academic Meeting where she discussed medical malpractice insurance in depth. Dr Bettina Taylor’s presentation discussed medical malpractice insurance in depth. Her presentation explained that medical malpractice insurance...

Understanding the basic steps to obtaining informed consent Taking the time to obtain proper informed consent is one of the most effective ways to avoid medico-legal challenges. Other than building the doctor-patient relationship, it ensures that patients do not...

South Africa’s medico-legal problems are well documented. Our healthcare system is vulnerable with many healthcare workers working under stressful conditions, not to mention the uncertainty in relation to the implementation of National Health Insurance and the adverse...

Sometimes it may be appropriate to stop being someone’s doctor. When you decide to end the relationship with your patient, it is often perceived in a negative way by the patient. If you have any doubt on whether the reason to terminate the relationship is justifiable,...

As we near the end of 2021 and celebrate EthiQal’s 5th birthday, I reflect on the past remarkable five years. EthiQal’s foundation documents from 2016 capture the early mission statement as “Committed to protect and defend South African medical practitioners”, which...

EthiQal launched a new IT system “Nebula” in May this year. We identified the need to replace the existing IT system in 2020, with the intention that the right technology solution will support our current needs and allow for future business growth. As such, Nebula was...

Alex Brownlee answers a few questions about the role and importance of Medico-legal insurance.

EthiQal, South Africa’s only professional medical indemnity provider, has partnered financially with Operation Healing Hands (OHH) for a third year running, to provide life-changing and life-saving surgeries in the public sector – at no cost to the patients. Operation...

Doctor’s Day is celebrated on 16 November to acknowledge and thank South African doctors for the exceptional services they deliver on a daily basis. EthiQal is proud to continue to honour this annual tradition of celebrating doctors countrywide, this November. “The...

A summons is a document issued by a court, which begins the litigation process. There are a variety of different summonses, however, the most common is a combined summons and it is used for medical malpractice claims. What is included in a summons? A summons is...

What is a subpoena? A subpoena compels a witness to provide a court with information or documents on a specific date, time and location. Failure to do so can lead to a penalty being imposed by the court. There are two types of subpoenas A subpoena duces tecum: In...

A retrospective, observational study of medicolegal cases against obstetricians and gynaecologists in South Africa’s private sector. Thesis by Dr B.Taylor

When applying for any type of insurance cover, insurers typically ask a set of questions that allows for evaluation of the risk to be protected. This forms part of underwriting – the process whereby an insurer assesses and takes on financial risk for a fee. The...

By JP Ellis Senior Legal and Claims Manager for FANEWS February 2021 issue The year 2020 saw the medical community at the frontline, facing tremendous pressure and uncertainty. For quite some time, the healthcare environment has been plagued with an increase in...

Dr Bettina Taylor pictured above For healthcare practitioners, the Covid-19 pandemic has created a totally different practice scenario with many doctors struggling to fulfil their primary professional obligations in a highly stressful, uncertain and constantly...

Johannesburg – A combination of heightened mobility across various provinces, an increase in super-spreader events, a new virus variant and a decrease in compliance with social-distancing protocols have contributed to the significant resurgence in positive coronavirus...

What is informed consent? Informed consent is a two-way dialogue between patient and their healthcare practitioner whereby the practitioner provides adequate information necessary to enable the patient to make an informed decision about the risks, benefits and...

by Alex Brownlee – Actuary and Executive Head of EthiQal  South Africa recorded its first coronavirus case in early March 2020. Roughly seven months and over 700 000 positive coronavirus cases later, the coronavirus pandemic continues to take a toll on South...

EthiQal has launched yet another year of its Doctor’s Day initiative and calls on all South Africans to join them in celebrating our healthcare heroes. Established on 16 November 2018 – two years to the date on which EthiQal was formed – Doctors’ Day raises awareness...

Key Learnings from Risk Management Practice Reviews At EthiQal, we strive to provide affordable professional indemnity that is aligned with the risk posed by individual practices. We also endeavour to assist practitioners with the identification of risk management...

Managing frontline medico-legal risks during COVID-19: from webinars to app sponsorships A year ago, COVID-19 was nothing more than some news broadcast from somewhere far away. It now continues to dominate world headlines, drive politicians’ decision-making and affect...

It is important to remember that every prescription, note, report or document your practice prepares comes with clinical, ethical, and legal responsibilities. Unfortunately, there may be occasions where a patient is found to have falsified or altered...

EthiQal is saddened to learn of the death of anaesthetist Dr Abdulhay Munshi. There are no words to express the sorrow, horror and disbelief relating to the act of violence that has taken Dr Munshi’s life. We at EthiQal extend our deepest condolences to Dr Munshi’s...

For a second year, professional medical indemnity provider, EthiQal, has made a financial contribution to Operation Healing Hands (OHH), a non-profit organisation that performs life-saving surgeries in the public sector. EthiQal is the medico-legal division of...

South Africa’s extended Coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown is merely slowing down the infection rate to allow for the urgent continued expansion of its currently inadequate treatment and life-saving capacity. It’s a reality many people validly complaining of income and...

The relationship between the patient and the healthcare practitioner: the legalities Mastering the theory of diseases and treatment, and the technical skills to perform intricate diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, is only one aspect of being a good doctor. True...

Johannesburg – A surprising number of GPs and specialists are unaware of the myriad ways in which they could fall victim to litigation, often believing this to be confined to the settlement of a negligence finding following an inadvertent patient injury. According to...

What is a subpoena? A subpoena compels a witness to provide a court with information or documents on a specific date, time and location under a penalty for failure. Are there different types? Yes, there are two types of subpoena: A subpoena ducestecum requires the...

Johannesburg – Talk to any doctor who’s faced litigation from a patient or their family, following an adverse event, and they’ll tell you how emotionally exhausting the process is. Risk reduction in medicine or surgery, where mistakes amounting to negligence are an...

Lives and industries are becoming increasingly digital, and healthcare is no exception. More healthcare professionals are using social media in their personal, as well as professional capacity.

The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) is a statutory body that protects the public, determines standards of professional education and training, and sets and maintains standards of ethical and professional practice. If you are registered with the...

A summons is a document issued by a court, which begins the litigation process. There are a variety of different summonses, the most common is a combined summons and it is used for medical malpractice claims.