Medical mistakes inevitable

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Medical mistakes happen, no matter how careful the doctors are, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said yesterday.
"Even in the best hospitals in the world, mistakes still happen. In Malaysia, the rate is between three and five per cent, which is acceptable," he said after launching the National AIDS conference.
Chua said government hospitals treated about 39 million outpatients as well as some 1.9 million admissions each year.
"We can imagine that even in the best situations some mistakes will still happen."
He said patients who were not satisfied with the services provided by government hospitals could lodge complaints.
"We give a guarantee that if there is a basis for a complaint, it will be investigated by a committee comprising experts from the private sector to increase their confidence.
"In the case that happened in Klang, we don't understand why there was so much publicity.
"If they are not satisfied with our service, then why come to our hospital? They came on Nov 26. According to logic, if you don't have confidence in our doctors, then why come?"
He said the parents had to be rational.
"Whatever mistakes that happened, we have already admitted it publicly and apologised. We are sincere in doing what is best," he said.
In the Klang case, a man is suing the government for RM2 million over a bungled hospital procedure that resulted in the amputation of his baby's forearm.