New medical malpractice law in UAE

Doctors and patients welcome new medical liability law in the UAE. The Medical Liability Law was decreed in August and became effective in September.

Doctors and patients have welcomed a new medical liability law in the UAE that seeks to be even-handed in the dispensation of justice when it comes to the settlement of a medical malpractice case.

The medical liability law was decreed in August and became effective in September after its publication in the official gazette.

Under the law, patients can report any malpractice or medical negligence by service providers or pharmaceutical companies to the health authorities.

It aims to uphold the rights of the patients and give the next of kin the right to file a criminal case against the hospital or doctor who they think was guilty of malpractice.

The law gives the patient the right to complain and seek redress in a medical negligence or malpractice case, and also protects the rights of the doctors and hospitals, giving them a chance to explain the circumstances.

The medical community can be reassured that any case will be subject to an impartial inquiry involving a peer review.

If a doctor has followed an evidence-based medical practice, followed a well-established protocol, kept the patient and relatives sufficiently counselled on the success rate of the procedure, then they can be reassured that this will help them. If a patient or relative are convinced of medical negligence, they have a right to file a criminal complaint.