Insurance premiums for doctors stable

The Medical Protection Society (MPS) is one of the largest medical insurers in Singapore. It is set up as a United Kingdom as a not-for-profit medical defense organisation.

It has stated that medical insurance premiums against lawsuits in relation to the negligence of Singapore doctors will be stable. This shows that claims against Singapore doctors are not likely to rise the forthcoming year. In contrast to the tendency of many United States specialists in the Obstretrics and Gynacology sector to decide to leave the sector because of enormous malpractice insurance premiums, in Singapore, it appears the situation is not as serious - at present, the annual premium is about $25,000, not cheaper but tolerable for a successful surgeon.

It may be that the following factors make lawsuits against doctors less likely in Singapore -

a) in Singapore, the general rule is that the loser of the lawsuit pays the winner's legal fees, which will deter weak or frivilous lawsuits, whereas in the United States; each party pays his own legal fees;

b) US lawyers often work on a contingency fee basis (no win, no fee) which therefore costs nothing for plaintiffs, while this kind of arrangement is not allowed in Singapore; and

c) the acceptance of the court of the Bolam defence referred to in previous postings; and

d) the expense of hiring foreign medical experts to assist in a local plaintiff's claim since the small local profession means that doctors are reluctant to participate in lawsuits against another doctor.