Medical blunder insurance boost call

The Hospital Authority has been advised to double its insurance limits for victims of medical blunders.

Its finance committee will today discuss a recommendation to add $200 million to the current $200 million medical malpractice policy.

The proposal was submitted by its insurance adviser.

'A review of the claims record shows a dramatic increase in the number of claims being reported since 1996 and the number of claims reported under the 1997/98 policy year has increased by 40 per cent on an annualised basis,' an internal paper says.

Some $2.7 million was spent on compensation over the past three years, while another 11 cases are under negotiation.

The paper said the current amount would 'appear to be adequate' given the past claims figure, but it would be insufficient for a serious or catastrophic incident.