Medical Lawyers in South Africa

Understanding the Role and Importance of Medical Lawyers in South Africa

Medical law is a field of law that centres around medical practitioners, their conduct towards patients, various medical responsibilities and the rights of patients when medical malpractice occurs. Medical lawyers in South Africa are vital when ensuring that patient rights are upheld. Medical attorneys understand the ins and outs of medical law, as well as the complexities of the legal system, and are thus fully trained to provide patients with the best possible outcome if they have experienced medical negligence or malpractice.

In this article, we will unpack what medical malpractice means and highlight why medical lawyers in South Africa are vital when patient rights are violated.

Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice occurs when medical professionals fail to “provide appropriate treatment, take appropriate action, or give substandard treatment that causes harm, injury, or death to a person.” Examples of medical malpractice might include the following instances:

• A surgical error where the surgeon operates on the wrong part of the body or leaves a medical instrument inside the patient.
• Misdiagnosis where a health professional gives the wrong diagnosis and the underlying issues get worse.
• Prematurely discharging a patient from the hospital before they are well enough to leave and this results in further sickness or injury.
• Subpar medical aftercare leading to prolonged sickness or infection.
• Mistakes during childbirth that harm the mother or child.
• Prescribing the wrong medication or dosage to a patient.

As the examples above highlight, medical malpractice can lead to great medical harm, and in severe cases, death. It is therefore important that patients who experience this level of negligence are given the right legal tools to access justice and gain compensation for the financial and emotional burden that malpractice causes. This is where medical lawyers in South Africa like Adele van der Walt Inc. can help.

How Medical Lawyers in South Africa Can Help

If you or a loved one has experienced medical malpractice at the hands of a healthcare professional it can feel overwhelming, and even impossible. Health providers have a legal responsibility to comply with the law and give their patients impeccable medical care. When they fail to do so, patients must be compensated for the medical impact and trauma they have experienced. Adele van der Walt Inc. offers a wide range of medical-legal services, and we are ready and able to help our clients with medical negligence, hospital negligence, misdiagnosis, and insurance disability. For more information on our legal services, contact our legal team and we will gladly advise you on the steps ahead.

Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Call on our attorneys for legal advice, rather than relying on the information herein to make any decisions. The information is relevant to the date of publishing – [October] 2023.

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