The Ministry of Health and Prevention, MoHAP, recently organized an introductory workshop on the Executive Regulation which is issued by the Council of Ministers pursuant to a Federal Law on Medical Liability.
Held at Shangri-la Hotel Dubai, the workshop targeted all personnel in the government and private health facilities, health authorities, the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, the Supreme Legislative Committee, the prosecution, the judiciary, and the courts, as well as MoHAP’s relevant departments.
Present at the meeting were; HE Dr. Amin Hussein Al Amiri, the Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Prevention’s Public Health Policy and Licenses, Dr. Lubna Al Shaali, Director of Public Health Policy Department, Abdel Nasser Bensalem, Health Legislation Advisor, and Dr. Rasha Salama, Public Health Advisor.
Disseminating Knowledge and Enhancing Partnership
Dr. Lubna Al Shaali said: “The workshop aims to explain the executive regulation of the decree of a federal law on the medical liability law, disseminate legal and applied knowledge and pave the way for an appropriate environment to realize the objectives of the health legislation.”
“The workshop also aims at overcoming obstacles facing the health facilities and medical practitioners.” Al Shaali explained.
She went on saying: “The Executive Regulation achieves balance, transparency, and integrity in the rights and duties of medical practitioners in the country while at the same time ensuring patient’s rights. It also clarifies the regulations and requirements governing the performance of health facilities, while ensuring accuracy and honesty as dictated by the Profession.”
In addition, the Executive Regulation identifies the standards of medical errors and its legal consequences whether through the legal accountability or complaint system.
The regulation also outlines the function of medical liability committees which exclusively examine complaints submitted to them and decide on occurrence or nonoccurrence of the medical error and its severity, the investigative mechanism with medical practitioners, and civil liability insurance against medical errors.
“One of the most important updates stated in the executive regulation is regulating the telehealth services and its associated necessary controls. This was followed by the health legislation in a bid to develop the healthcare system in the country and its response to patients’ needs in accordance with best international practices,” she noted.
Protecting Patients’ Information
Among the most important additions to the new legislation is the controls and requirements of handing patients’ data with a view to safeguarding public health. This would help achieve several public health-related initiatives and programs.
The Executive Regulation is a complement to the legislative framework governing the medical liability in a bid to come up with the right balance between protecting patients’ rights and ensuring the appropriate conditions for health practitioners to perform their duties in the interest of the patient and the protection of public health in the community.