The government should set up a special body to oversee investigations into medical errors in the country, say judges and doctors.

Abdullah Al-Khnaizan, head of family medicine and comprehensive clinics at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh, said medical negligence is one of the leading reasons for people filing lawsuits against health practitioners in the Kingdom and around the world.

He said practitioners and patients need to have knowledge of their rights and obligations including disciplinary procedures and financial compensation if mistakes occur, according to a report in a local publication recently.

Speaking at a seminar on the law and medical ethics at the hospital, he said that there should be a better way to review and publish details of errors that have taken place. This would help prevent a repeat of such mistakes, he said.

It was important to set up a special body to oversee medical mistakes because other countries have successfully introduced such bodies. He cited the case of the United Kingdom, which has the National Health System Litigation Authority that has succeeded in dealing with medical mistakes effectively.

Husam Junaid, a consultant internist and chairman of the seminar’s organizing committee, said participants discussed various aspects of the law and its effects on medical provision, including setting up a body to deal with negligence and mistakes.

He said several participants including Sheikh Hamad Al-Razein, chairman of the legislative health commission, lawyers, judges and doctors, support the idea of a body to deal with these issues.

This seminar was one of several events that have been organized by the hospital over the past five years to educate staff and raise awareness of important medical issues including protective medicine and chronic diseases.