In five years, more than $62 million in damages has been paid to Quebec patients due to medical negligence and errors, according to a news report.
In 2013 alone, almost $16 million was paid out to victims of mistakes or negligence. The numbers, obtained by the Journal de Montreal from the health ministry, vary from year to year.
For example, in 2010-2011, $6.5 million was doled out to those victims.
Health care establishments in Quebec and many of their employees are covered by insurance provided by the Association quebecoise d’etablissements de sante et de services sociaux.
But the insurance only kicks in after a certain amount, meaning tax dollars make up part of the amounts paid out.
The Conseil pour la protection des malades, an organization that advocates on behalf of users of the health care system, says the number of medical errors and negligence is underreported, and that the figures provided by the ministry only represent the tip of the iceberg.
The council’s president, Paul Brunet, told the Journal he believes Quebec should have a no-fault insurance system for patients affected by medical errors.
