The government has spent over N$12 million compensating for cases against the Ministry of Health and Social Services for medical legal claims arising from the work of health professionals across health facilities over the past five years.
Responding to Nampa on Wednesday, the ministry’s spokesperson Walters Kamaya stated that the cases are mostly obstetric-related, which involve complications during childbirth.
During the 2019/2020 financial year (FY), seven cases were compensated for a total of N$4 704 375, while six cases were paid N$2 102994 during the 2021/2022 FY.
No case was reported during the 2020/2021 FY.
Eight cases were compensated N$5 335 000 during the 2022/2023 FY, and two cases were allocated a total of N$525 000 during the 2023/2024 FY.
Kamaya stressed that the ministry has adopted a comprehensive and strategic approach to diminish the occurrence of medical negligence within public health facilities, including providing health workers with continuous professional development opportunities to keep up with the latest advancements in medical care as well as improving patient treatment techniques.
“These opportunities include workshops and in-service training sessions that are critical for enhancing the skills and knowledge of healthcare workers,” he noted.
Equally, there is a focus on regular assessment of healthcare facilities, which is vital for detecting shortcomings in medical services.
Incident reporting systems have also been improved to facilitate the efficient and accurate reporting of any advanced events.
Adverse events can be caused by human error within a complex mix of actions and interactions, including team relationships, communication, human behaviour, technology, organisational culture, rules and policies as well as the nature of the environment where these actions take place.
“The ministry has established a dedicated customer care unit at hospitals to assist patients and their families in reporting any concerns or experiences related to healthcare negligence,” he said.
-Nampa