Transcript Missionary Malpractice Survey

Missionary Malpractice Survey
Completed by Center for Medical
Missions
June, 2008
Sent to ~ 1000 e-Pistle Recipients
56 Responses
29 Countries Represented
America’s
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Peru x 2
Guatemala x 2
Ecuador x 2
Honduras x 4
Trinidad-Tobago
Dominican Republic x 2
Bolivia
USA
Canada
Nicaragua
Belize
Africa
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Kenya x 4
Ethiopia x 2
Zambia x 2
Tanzania x 2
Ghana
Sudan
Chad
Zimbabwe
Countries Continued
Europe
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Ukraine
Turkey
Romania
Albania
Asia
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Papua New Guinea x 4
India
Philippines
Thailand
Macau
Taiwan x 2
Pakistan
Cambodia
Malpractice Coverage?
No
Yes
0%
79%
21%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Coverage With
 Medical Protection Society - UK
 Kenya, Taiwan, Cambodia
 IMA PP Scheme - India
 UAP - Kenya
Had a Suit?
 20% had a suit
 All against long term staff
 Countries -> Malpractice Ins.?
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Ecuador - N
Kenya - Y
Papua New Guinea - N, had but compensate now
Pakistan - N
Honduras - N
Turkey - Y
Taiwan - Y
 80% no suit
Suit Amounts/Results
COUNTRY
AMOUNT
RESULT
Ecuador
$3,000
Settled
Taiwan
$100-$200K
Settled
Turkey
$5,000
Doctor Won
Honduras
$10,000
Settled
Pakistan
-
Papua NG
$100-$10,000
Kenya
$15,000-$25,000
Kenya
$500,000
Dropped
Settled $50-$5,000
Settled $10,000
Pending
How Common Are Suits?
70%
67%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
24%
10%
9%
0%
Unheard Of
Uncommon
Common
0%
Very Common
How Likely is a Suit
in Next Five Years?
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
1
Very Unlikely
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very Likely
Should CMDA Develop a
Malpractice Program?
YES
52%
NO
48%
30 Comments
 This is an area of increasing interest. Malpractice suits are
not frequent but becoming more common.
 One issue is the desire on the part of many volunteers for
malpractice coverage for trips overseas as well as the
requirements by many medical schools and residency
programs for this coverage.
 Our mission organization has pledged to be responsible for
any malpractice claims lodged against us in country.
 Currently very low risk and malpractice is more likely to
be taken up with the Medical Board than as a civil suit.
 Malpractice if becoming more common and it is a concern
of both missionary and local physicians. We are told we
have support from the college of medicine, but it is not
reality. Honduras
Comments
 The malpractice situation in Ghana is changing rapidly.
Doctors have been very arrogant and are repeating the
mistakes made in the US; however, law groups now have
agents in small villages looking for instances of malpractice
that would result in successful law suits.
 PNG Highlands often demand compensation. They often
threaten to sue. They rarely proceed to sue through legal
channels. They often use threats, occasionally violence, to
press their demands. Legal channels are rare, problematic, and
dysfunctional. We no longer carry malpractice insurance
because we were paying high premiums but always settling
out of court…
 Our one suit showed that long term docs are at risk, not short
term visitors. - Kenya