A conference on medico legal aspects in emergency healthcare has suggested measures including formation of a medico legal forum to help doctors take up emergency cases without fear of legal problems.

Conducted in Chennai, this week, MEDLA 2003 suggested formation of a medico legal forum with representation from the police, judiciary, medical field and insurance companies. The aim of the forum would be to establish a single window system to fast track patients from the first stage to tertiary care.

The meeting, organized by the Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, in association with the Tamil Nadu branch of Indian Medical Association (IMA), also suggested formation of a medico-legal chain, a sequence of procedures for handling medico legal emergencies, to reduce reluctance on the part of doctors in taking up medico legal cases. Another suggestion was to incorporate legal aspects of medicine and trauma as part of the curriculum in medical colleges to give doctors necessary confidence to handle such cases.

Addressing the conference, PS Rammohan Rao, governor, Tamil Nadu, said refusing treatment for accident victims to avoid legal complications should be considered a crime punishable under law. He noted that some doctors were reluctant to take up emergency cases due to fear of police enquiry, court hearings that may last for many years etc.

He said it was the duty of the doctors to attend to such cases and there was no escape from handling medico-legal cases. The governor also suggested measures should be incorporated to ensure the hospitals and doctors recover costs incurred by them while handling such cases. A part of the compensation awarded by accident claims tribunal could be earmarked for this, said the governor.

According to state law minister D Jayakumar, his department would ensure doctors were not facing any harassment by way of legal formalities for attending such cases. Life of people was more important than laws and legal formalities. Doctors should handle emergency cases without fearing long drawn legal procedure and court appearance, noted the minister.

According to Preetha Reddy, managing director, Apollo Hospitals, more than 75 per cent of accident victims were not given treatment within the ‘Golden Hour’ because many hospitals were reluctant to handle such cases.