Locations
The Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill 2014 (the “Bill”), which has been passed by Seanad Eireann, will amend the Medical Practitioners Act 2007 by setting minimum requirements for medical professionals in relation to professional indemnity insurance.
At present, there is no legal obligation for medical professionals to obtain professional indemnity insurance however the Bill will make it a mandatory requirement for registration with the Medical Council. The Bill provides that the National Treasury Management Agency (the “Agency”) will determine the minimum levels of indemnity insurance required for each class of medical practitioner.
The National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Act is also amended to provide that the Agency will only set these minimum levels following consultation with the Medical Council and any other persons the Agency thinks appropriate.
Following its enactment, if a medical practitioner fails to provide evidence of professional indemnity insurance, the practitioner’s registration can be removed by the Council within 21 days following the request.
Minister for Health Simon Harris TD confirmed in June 2016 that the Bill, which was before the previous sitting of the Dáil, has been restored to the Order Paper of the 32nd Dáil.
A copy of the Bill as passed by the Seanad can be found here.
Authors: Brian Hammond and Elaine Morrissey