The South African Law Reform Commission published its discussion paper 154 on medico-legal claims. The extended deadline for comments and submission is now the 28^th February 2022.

While acknowledging the constitutional right of access to the courts, the paper proposes that a system be developed to deal with public healthcare medico-legal claims commencing at the hospital. When a serious event occurs prescribed compulsory procedures are recommended to attempt early resolution culminating in compensation that provides fair restitution to the aggrieved healthcare user “without bankrupting and eventually crippling the public health system”.