Filenews 15 November 2023 - by Marilena Panayi
First doctors will sign a contract with insurance companies and then they will obtain the license to practice the profession from the Pancyprian Medical Association.
At the same time, as provided for by a proposal for a law prepared by DISY, the PIS will ensure that insurance contracts include the minimum range of insurance coverage that they will offer to doctors in cases of conviction in cases of civil liability for professional negligence.
The need to amend the "Doctors" Law arose after the recent conviction by the Court of a doctor to compensation amounting to €2.5 million, since as it was found from this case, doctors in Cyprus are obliged to have an insurance policy in force only if they are integrated into the General Health System. For doctors outside the GHS and generally for obtaining a license to practice the profession, there is no legislation that provides for this. (In this case, the doctor was not covered by any insurance policy.)
At the same time, the need arose from this case to determine the amount of insurance coverage offered by the various policies, as the amount of €2.5 million awarded cannot be covered by most insurance contracts currently in force between doctors and insurance companies that reach, (most), €1 million.
The bill, signed by Efthymios Diplaros, Savvia Orfanidou and Charalambos Pazaros, was submitted to the Plenary of the Parliament last Thursday and will now be expected to be discussed in the parliamentary Health Committee in which all three MPs participate.
The explanatory memorandum accompanying the draft law states that the aim is 'to make the conclusion and maintenance of an insurance contract against civil liability for professional negligence a prerequisite for the issuance of a licence to practise'.
According to the proposed amendment: "No annual licence shall be issued unless a person practising the profession of doctor maintains in force an insurance contract against civil liability for professional negligence".
The PIS "shall determine by regulation the minimum conditions which the insurance contract against civil liability for professional negligence must include and the minimum range of insurance cover which it must provide". It will also have the power "to determine the minimum terms of an insurance contract and the minimum amount of insurance cover against civil liability for professional negligence".
