Medical Malpractice Issues
An Overview Of Medical Malpractice Issues
Do you believe that you may have a legal case for medical malpractice? Your doctor or health care professional is bound by the codes and ethics of the Health Professions Council of South Africa and, as such, he or she is duty-bound to behave professionally in every dealing with his or her patients. Sadly, sometimes the very professionals that are supposed to assist us can – either knowingly or unknowingly – actually harm more than help. The range of medical malpractice issues is broad, and can encompass anything from:
- Inappropriate behaviour during a consultation
- Doctor-Patient confidentiality breaches
- Incorrect diagnosis of your condition
- Incorrect prescribing of medication
- Foreign objects left in your body after surgery
- Surgical errors
- Emergency room errors
- Breast implant malpractice
- Psychiatric malpractice
- Anaesthesia malpractice
- Laparoscopic procedure errors
- Elder abuse / nursing home neglect
- Birth injuries
- Dental errors
- Cosmetic surgery
- Botox malpractice
These are just some of medical malpractice issues most commonly claimed for and with the help of a qualified medical malpractice attorney you will be able to ascertain if your grievance warrants instituting a claim against your health professional, clinic or hospital. If you are advised to go ahead with a medical malpractice claim, your attorney will advise you of the course of action, the amount to be claimed for and the approximate timeframe in which to institute and finalise your claim.
When considering all of the requisite medical malpractice issues, your attorneys will calculate what is known as ‘general damages’, which encompasses compensation for pain and suffering, either physical, emotional or financial; as well as the amounts required to cover your past, present and future medical costs and any loss of earnings you have or will incur as a result of your medical mishap.
In order to fully explore all of the medical malpractice issues surrounding your grievance, contact Adele van der Walt Attorneys for professional, expert and caring advice.
For more information on this subject, please give us a call at 012 460 3668 (SA) or e-mail us at clare@avdw.co.za
