UK

Medical Negligence

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All of us like to trust our doctors and other medical professionals we see such as our dentists. And, happily, that trust is seldom misplaced. Unfortunately, however, there are times when even doctors can make a mistake in treating a patient or when first making their diagnosis. When this happens, and the patient suffers distress or, worse, an injury, than the doctor or medical professional may be guilty of medical negligence. The patient would then be entitled to make a claim for medical negligence compensation.

As may be expected making a claim for compensation against a medical professional can be a long, drawn out and very involved process. Because of the complexities involved in making such a claim the claimant will need to employ a specialist solicitor to help them take the claim forward.

But, care and time must be taken to ensure that the right solicitor is found. One that can be relied upon to obtain the best settlement possible. If possible it is always best to approach a solicitor that has been recommended to the claimant by an independent friend or colleague. Word of mouth recommendations are usually the most reliable method of finding a good lawyer or compensation solicitor.

In the UK most compensation solicitors will offer to take cases on a ‘no win no fee’ basis. Also known as a ‘conditional fee arrangement’ this means that all the solicitors fees will be waivered in the event of losing the case. However, because of this layers will not take on any case that they think they may lose; this can make finding a solicitor who will take on the case a frustrating and time consuming process.

Once a suitable lawyer has been hired the lengthy claims process begins with the lawyer firstly gathering all the available evidence. The most important evidence of course will be the medical records of the claimant and details of the treatment given or diagnosis received. These records will be the foundation on which the case is built and will enable the solicitor to prove that medical malpractice has taken place.

The lawyer or compensation solicitor will then hand all the facts of the claim over to their own medical experts for an opinion as to the extent of the malpractice. This expert will advise the solicitor if there was medical negligence on the part of the offending medical practitioner.

Once the medical experts have had their say the claimants solicitor will propose a settlement figure for each party to consider. If the medical professional disputes the claim or the amount of the settlement figure than the result of the claim will be decided by a court.

The legal process will be a long one and there are very rarely any shortcuts that can be taken. Even in cases were there is no real dispute about the facts the hammering out of the final settlement figure can take a very long, and frustrating, time to agree.

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Medical Tourism

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Medical tourism is the process of traveling abroad in order to receive medical care, be it cosmetic surgery, heart surgery, breast implants, a hip replacement, or dental work.

Rising health care costs and longer waiting times in the western countries like United States, Canada, and UK etc. are inducing patients to seek treatment overseas. While U.S. consumers are concerned mainly with the exorbitant cost of health care, Canadians are more troubled by wait-times for certain treatments. Indeed, approximately 1 million Canadians claim to be experiencing difficulties in access to care. As for UK, it is believed that more than 50,000 people from the UK travel for treatment abroad because of high medical care costs in UK.

Medical Tourism in South Korea South Korea has been growing as a tourist destination of choice for health and vacation because of their world class physicians, modern technology, and unique caring and compassion at great values for money at a fraction of the cost in the west. The country is home to some of the best hospitals and stand alone Specialty clinics in the world, offering world-class expertise, state-of-the-art facilities, and the warmth of hospitality. Also, some of the world’s best spa retreat resorts and tour destinations can be found in this part of the earth. Additionally, it’s not unusual to find plus accommodations, foreign language translators, and other amenities at some of the major facilities.

South Korea has made its initial foray into the lucrative market of medical tourism by launching the Council for Korea Medicine Overseas Promotion. Funded by the Government and 28 private hospitals, this organization will market medical packages to foreign patients seeking affordable health care. The Council has initiated a set of measures to promote the medical vacation industry by aiding hospitals in their marketing strategies. In this way, South Korea can generate greater overseas awareness of the country’s medical and tourism offerings. According to a Council official:

The average charge for an in-patient visit in a US hospital is dollar3,762, which is 13 times higher than in South Korea.

The average charge for outpatients in the US is dollar13,000 which is 9 times higher than in South Korea. South Korea’s affordable health care system has seen the number of foreign patients rise from 10,000 to 13,000 in just 2 years. With all these added measures in place, South Korea is on its way to claim its share in the prosperous medical vacation business

Benefits of Medical Tourism Health care costs are constantly on the rise in countless Western countries. In the US alone, it is already a multi-billion dollar industry that shows no sign of stopping (worldwide it is over dollar3 trillion US). But why pay exorbitant prices at home when you can travel abroad and receive the same treatment (if not better) from a fully certified medical facility for a fraction of the price?