Licences of two doctors revoked

Since the beginning of 2012, 20 other doctors from different specialities have been issued warning letters, said an official from the DHA.

In 2011, 34 warning letters were issued and 12 health professionals were suspended while licences of three doctors were revoked by the authority. Once a professional has been suspended or the licence revoked, all health authorities in the UAE and GCC are notified.

Professionals from Obstetrics and Gynaecology topped the list with 28 medical complaints, followed by 20 from General Surgery. In 2010, complaints against Obstetrics and Gynaecology remained the highest at 27.

The authority has recently started random checks on the files of health professionals to audit their performance, said Dr Layla Mohammed Al Marzouqi, Head of Clinical Governance Office, DHA Health Regulation Department.

The checks and inspections are based on a criteria set by the authority, she said. “Checks on facilities and professionals are either based on medical negligence complaints or now we even do them randomly,” she said.

Some checks are also scheduled. The official said that number of inspections on both facilities and professionals have also increased lately.

In cases where the authority suspends a professional (temporarily for less than 12 months), a re-assessment is done and a panel decides if the licence should be revoked all together or if the professional should be allowed to work again. In some cases, specialists can also be demoted, said Dr Layla.

The authority has also launched a new quality improvement strategy for 2011-2012 under which medical facilities and professionals are taught how to reduce medical errors.

“We hold regular workshops to train doctors and hospitals on how to develop policies that can help them reduce medical errors,” said Dr Layla.

She also explained that after inspections are done and in case faults are found, a committee is formed by the DHA that trains the facilities and staff. “We give them three months and a list of improvements that they have to make during this time,” she said. An inspector is sent again to cross-check the improvements following which a decision is taken to either keep the facility running or shut it down.

The authority is also in the process of signing a mutual agreement with the UK to notify cases of erring professionals.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com