‘Ethics 4 All’, a series of upcoming conferences organised and delivered by the Medical Protection Society (MPS) and taking place in Durban (1 December), Pretoria (2 December) and Cape Town (4 December), will be aiming to tackle the sharp increase in the cost of clinical negligence claims in South Africa in recent years.
The event, in its sixth year and expected to attract over 2500 delegates, will explore trends in complaints and claims and consider the factors that have caused an increase in the cost of clinical negligence claims.
Ahead of the conference, Dr Graham Howarth, Head of Medical Services in Africa, MPS said: "The dramatic rise in the cost of claims and complaints in South Africa highlights the need for healthcare professionals to understand why things go wrong in patient care and how they can be avoided.
"There are several measures a healthcare professional can take to reduce their risk and I would urge them to attend the Medical Protection Society’s Ethics 4 All conferences to find out more.
"These free events could go a long way to reducing the shocking rise in the value of claims and complaints that the country has witnessed.
"Last year 2,500 delegates attended across the three locations and we hope to reach a similar number of doctors this year.”
The Ethics 4 All conferences support doctors faced with ethical challenges, and enables them to obtain CPD/CME points for the ethical component of their professional development.
The conference programme will include presentations on the following:
- Walking the Ethical Tightrope – Falling foul of ethics – trends in complaints and claims (Dr Graham Howarth, Head of Medical Services – Africa, MPS)
- Ethics of Managed Healthcare Resources (Elsabe Kilnck, Elsabe Klinck Consulting)
- Adverse Events in Healthcare and the Ethics of an Apology (Dr JP van Niekerk, UCT Emeritus Professor and former Editor of the South African Medical Journal)
- Mastered Shared Decision Making – (Howard Manyonga, Specialist Health, Wits Reproductive and HIV institute, Johannesburg, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, and Faculty member, Educational Services, MPS)
The conferences are chaired by:
- Durban – Dr Mzukisi Grootboom, Chairperson, SAMA
- Pretoria – Professor Martin Veller, Professor and Head, Department of Surgery, University of Witwatersrand
- Cape Town - Dr Mark Sonderup, Vice Chairperson, SAMA