Health Minister says upcoming Medical Professionals Act will hold healthcare providers accountable

​Health Minister Dr. Kenneth Darroux says an upcoming Medical Professionals Act will hold healthcare providers accountable for their actions.
 
Speaking on State owned radio last week, Darroux said the new Act will relieve the state of the burden of any blunders made by healthcare professionals.“The new Medical Act which we’re really hoping to come on stream, is going to put more responsibility on healthcare providers, because the way it is right now, the state is the one who bears the burden of the indifference, or whatever the case may be, of healthcare providers”.
 
Darroux also lamented the lack of thorough investigation into matters such as deaths which occur at hospitals on-island. He revealed that more regulatory entities will be established to look into such cases.
 
“The Medical Act is going to put more responsibility, more accountability, more of what we call review boards, and many more regulatory boards or such entities in place. We don’t think there is thorough (for want of a better term) investigation, to follow up as to what happens. These review boards will now be empowered by the Act, to take the necessary action, to summon the necessary documents, and to interview the necessary people.”
 
The Health Minister also announced that a task force has been formed to examine the structure and practices of regional healthcare systems, as the current structure of the Medical Act in Dominica “does not allow for adequate regulation of the healthcare providers.”
 
In 2015, following public outcry over the deaths of a number of persons who went to the country’s main hospital, the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) to seek medical attention, Darroux assured Dominicans that a revised Medical Professions Act would hold healthcare professionals accountable for their actions.
 
He also said then, that the Act will examine criteria for registration, licensing and guaranteeing the quality of professionals, who serve the public.