The Higher Prosecutor's Office held a seminar on "Medical Malpractice Prevention and Dispute Resolution Act" today, and invited the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and several judicial officials to discuss possible ways to resolve medical disputes; Chen Runqiu, director of health in New Taipei City, attended the seminar and expressed Taking the mediation of medical disputes in New Taipei City as an example, discuss the feasible process of mediating medical disputes, and announce that among the medical institutions with medical disputes in the New Taipei City area, hospitals above the regional level account for the most, accounting for 58%.

(Photo by reporter Qian Lizhong)

[Reporter Qian Lizhong/Taipei Report] The Higher Prosecutor's Office held a seminar on the "Medical Malpractice Prevention and Dispute Resolution Act" today, inviting the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and several judicial officials to discuss feasible ways to resolve medical disputes; New Taipei City Health Director Chen Runqiu attended the seminar and took the medical dispute mediation situation in New Taipei City as an example to discuss the feasible process of medical dispute mediation, and announced that among the medical institutions with medical dispute incidents in the New Taipei City area, hospitals above the regional level accounted for the most, accounting for 58% .

Regarding the history of medical dispute mediation in New Taipei City, it originated in 1999. First, the Medical Dispute Mediation Group of the Medical Review Committee was established. The Accident Prevention and Dispute Resolution Act announced that starting in 2024 next year, medical malpractice and medical dispute litigation must be mediated by the local health bureau.

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Chen Runqiu took New Taipei City as an example to explain the application process for medical dispute mediation. First, the public first applies to the Health Bureau, and then the Health Bureau asks the institution to provide medical records and explanations. The medical institution will explain and reply to the mediation willingness. If the medical institution is willing , that is to enter the next stage, the medical committee will give written opinions, and the mediation committee will hold a meeting. If the mediation meeting is established, the Health Bureau will sign a settlement agreement. If the mediation meeting is not established, the public can turn to judicial channels for relief. .

If the medical institution replies that the Health Bureau is unwilling to mediate, it will go directly to judicial channels.

Chen Runqiu pointed out that among the medical institutions in New Taipei City, most of the hospitals with medical disputes occurred in hospitals above the regional level, including 8 regional hospitals accounting for 45%, 2 medical centers accounting for 13%, and 43 regional hospitals accounting for 11% , 3423 clinics accounted for 31%; among them, among the medical disputes in clinics, Western medicine clinics were more common.

If divided by department, the department with the most medical disputes is surgery, accounting for 33%. Among the subdivisions of surgery, orthopedics accounts for 49%. In addition, internal medicine accounts for 18%, obstetrics and gynecology accounts for 16%, and dentistry Accounted for 10%, pediatrics accounted for only 1%, including ophthalmology, rehabilitation, dermatology, nursing, administration and other departments, accounted for 22%.

Chen Runqiu analyzed the types of medical dispute mediation cases in New Taipei City, including poor communication, unequal medical knowledge, improper medication, doubts about medical treatment and care, doubts about case records, and other matters such as administrative procedures and fees.

About holding a medical dispute mediation meeting, the meeting place is located in the Health Bureau. The participants include both doctors and patients and 2 committee members. Before the meeting, the 2 medical committee members will review the materials, and the medical and legal committee members will preside over the meeting. Opportunities for written and on-site presentations, the meeting time is about 3 hours, the effect of mediation is remarkable, with an average success rate of over 60%.

As for the procedure of the mediation meeting, Chen Runqiu explained that, first of all, first understand the patient's questions and needs, ask the doctor to state his opinion, and then the committee member will explain to the patient, including the medical procedure, doctor's treatment and changes in the condition, etc. After explaining the questions of the party, and reaching a consensus between the doctor and the patient to facilitate reconciliation, they will sign the reconciliation letter, and the doctor, the patient and the Health Bureau will each keep one copy.