Hyderabad  : Patients suing doctors or hospitals is rising at an alarming rate of 200% per annum.  Patients fighting for compensation for Medical Negligence, courts directing hospitals to pay paulty compensation for negiligence has become quite common. Now things are changing.  Medical negligence cases are being fought like never before. Ever since Supreme court directed AMRI hospital in Kolkata to pay Rs 11.4 crore to Dr. Kunal Saha, a US based Indian origin doctor for medical negligence which led to his wife Dr. Anuradha, 29years old a child psychologist things have changed dramatically.  We haven’t ever witness that kind of huge compensation was not unheard atleast in India.  Doctors are also started feeling the heat.  It is better to stop practicing medicine than be sued  said one doctor. This is sufficient enough to judge the mood of the medical fraternity.

To offer solution and guide doctors on such issues, a Delhi based LegalMD is announced Risk Management Solution to Medical Professionals.  The service is somewhat new and widely known.  It has set up a stall at Global Cancer Conference & Medicare Summit at HICC being orgnaised by Hyderabad based OMICS Group.

There were many stalls which include PRO Young International, Netkar, Imperial Life Sciences, Premas Life Sciences, Bard Health care and others.  But LegalMD caught the attention of  many of the visitors to the expo..

Speaking about the services which is not very common Mr. Shailesh Ahluwalia, Co-Founder of LegalMD Global Consulting Services Pvt. Ltd  said India has about 6 lakh Doctors off which  Five lakh are General Physicians and One lakh are super specialists.  Assuming a general physician looks after 20 patients a day and super specialist 10, the total number of patients they consult together in a year is  25crore and 3 lakhs respectively.  One in ten general physicians and one if five surgeons have some problems or issues with patients about their treatment.

When hospitals charge exorbitantly, so patients expect best service.  The Doctor patient trust has gone long ago.  No one believes one doctor. When they consult another for second opinion, they get totally a different picture of the disease and treatment. Then begins the mistrust.  As a result of which a suspicion develops.  Under such circumstance, a doctor who is supposed to concentrate on treatment, is also started worrying about medico legal cases.

Unfortunately they are not taught the subject extensively while studying MBBS.  Hence we offer services which include any issues raised by patients, treatment. We enroll doctors. Right now 2000 doctors are registered with us each paying Rs 8500 to 13000/- depends on specialty, a onetime fee per annum.  In return what they get is customized professional indemnity insurance to protect doctors from medico legal cases.  However, as per this membership only rupees five lakh insurance is provided.  If they want extra insurance, they have to additionally pay for it, informed Shailesh

We provide medico legal services, we handle police, Right to Information related issues. We offer medico Negligence Training to doctors and paramedics.  We see to it that doctors comply all legal duties and we Audit their practice.  We help them strengthen their weak areas.  We extend help in case of crisis informed Shailesh.

Our team has medico legal and management experts.  We provide world class Risk Management Solutions to Medical Professionals to help them stay focused on their medical practice, without worrying about the possible issues arising from patient treatments, which are now becoming complex.

Doctors have become scary after the patients become aware of their rights.  So this is the need of the hour. We would like to enroll 10,000 doctors this year and would target to reach 30,000 doctors next year. Though this service is in nascent stage, there are already few players like AICL, Docland etc and other.

DOCLAND Services Ltd says perhaps we are the first organized body, which puts all efforts to provide shield to Doctors/Medical Establishments all over India. This company claims in its website to have one lakh plus doctors seeking their services across India.

OMICS Group scheduled a talk on “Medico-Legal Compliance in India”.  Arun Mishra, a practicing advocate at High Court and Supreme Court and a Medico-Legal Consultant addressed the group of doctors at the

Global Cancer Conference & Medicare Summit.  The talk arouse lot of interest among the medical fraternity. He highlighted the importance of compliance all guidelines.

We help doctors insured proactively to meet risk challenges every day. Our seasoned team of consultants have more than 8 years experience in the industry, handled 8000 plus cases and offer expertise in a variety of areas informs Shailesh

Professional Indemnity insurance for extensive range of occupations, including accountants, architects, engineers, fire protection consultants,  and doctors is already existing for many years in many countries including India. Unfortunately not many know about it. Now that the medico negligence cases are on the rise, more and more doctors are learning about them.

Err is human. But, one small error of a doctor or medical professional may prove fatal.  In case of Dr. Kunal Saha’s case, he stayed back in India without going back to US after death of his wife.   Now he has set up PBT-People for Better Treatment.  It is a society which fights medical negligence in India.

PBT India established in 2001 in Kolkata by founding President Dr. Kunal Saha from USA. What started as a fight for justice by an individual against medical malpractice for the wrongful death of his wife Anuradha, has now turned into a mass movement against the pervasive malpractice across the country.

Anuradha, an India-born USA citizen died in the most incomprehensible manner during a social visit to India at an age of only 36 and at the beginning of a productive career as a Child Psychologist. Today it has become a big movement.

What patient need is relief and doctor must ensure the same.  The doctor patient trust must be restored like in the past for better health care management.