Public trumps private in claim rankings

Dubai's department of health and medical services (DoHMS) registered 89 medical complaints last year; 43% from the public sector, and 57% from private facilities.

Poor communication and a failure to obtain proper consent ranked as the leading causes of medical malpractice complaints in Dubai last year, a government report has revealed.

Inadequate documentation was listed as second, with 48% of claims in the public sector and 51% of private sector complaints.

Among government hospitals, Dubai Hospital attracted the highest number of cases, as the source of 42% of complaints, while Rashid Hospital and Al Wasl Hospital registered 11% and 10% respectively.

Welcare Hospital notched up the highest number of grievances among private sector facilities, registering 10% of complaints. 8% of complaints were filed against the American Hospital, with Belhoul Speciality Hospital, International Medical Centre and Al Sohool Orthodontic & Dental Centre, attracting 6% each. The Iranian Hospital and New Medical Centre registered 4% of claims each, with the remaining 56% of complaints filed in single cases against individual hospitals.

The majority of malpractice complaints were resolved in less than two months.

"There were more medical complaints against the private sector than DoHMS [and] the outcomes of complaints showed more negligence in the private sector," the report concluded.