The Beijing Municipal Health Bureau plans to compel all the capital's public medical organizations to take out medical malpractice insurance.

Coverage will extend to doctors and other professionals against liability arising from patient care, reports the Beijing News.

Since 1998, the city has encouraged its medical organizations to take out medical malpractice insurance.

That has been met by little response on the part of many, citing high premium costs as the main reason for their low take-up, an official from the bureau was quoted as saying.

According to a report by the Beijing Insurance Regulatory Committee released this June, less than 20 city hospitals have taken out medical malpractice insurance. And only two insurance companies, PICC Property and Casualty Co Ltd and the Beijing Branch of Taiping Life Insurance Co Ltd, offer such a policy.

But medical malpractice and doctor-patient disputes which frequently arise are becoming an increasing headache for the normal running of medical organizations.

Six years on, the bureau has decided to take matters in hand.

Under the new directive, all State-owned non-profit-making medical organizations are required to have medical malpractice insurance.

An independent third party, most likely an intermediary, will assess any medical liability claims and mediate disputes.

"It (insurance) is compulsory for those State-owned hospitals," said the official, adding: "All district and county-level health bureaux should organize the medical organizations within their areas to get insured."

Privately run medical organizations are also entitled to take out insurance under the same regulations, he added.

The bureau said the relevant intermediary organization should comprise medical, legal and insurance professionals.

Since the cost of insurance is shouldered by the medical organizations concerned it will not increase the financial burden of patients.

Some doctors are backing the changes.

"Without insurance, a lot of doctors are facing great psychological and economic pressure once a medical accident happens," Chen Wei, director of the doctor-patient relationship office of Jishuitan Hospital, was quoted by the Beijing News as saying.

And that it is impacting medical practice, he asserted.

"At present, a few doctors would rather use some conservative measures in their treatment than to use some new ways which may be more effective," he said.

Source: China Daily