Algerian legislation doesn’t incriminate medical errors.

Several complaints lodged against hospitals and private clinics for medical errors are still under investigations by the relevant health committee. Some 200 cases most of them related to genecology, maternity and obstetrics are still pending.

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• The head of the medical supreme body, Doctor Mohammed Bekat Berkani has indicated that the number doesn’t reflect reality as most of the victims in Algeria do not declare these errors because they don’t know the procedure for some, while others prefer to sue the medical institutions to receive compensations.
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• He also revealed that the control is limited to Algerian doctors only, in the sense that several foreign doctors operating in Algeria are not affiliated to this institution. He went on saying that health ministry is granting permission to these doctors to operate in Algeria without prior obligation to subscribe to this committee.
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• This situation makes it very hard for tem to sue these doctors in case of medical errors, according to him. He stressed the importance of holding an Algerian nationality for these foreign doctors as a condition for some sensitive specialities.
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