Govt working to modernise legislative infrastructure – AG tells Medical Council

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall on Thursday met with representatives of the Medical Council of Guyana and a number of issues were discussed, including creating a draft bill with the aim of modernising related legislative infrastructure.

The Council and the Drafting Department of the Legal Affairs Ministry will collaborate to establish the bill, which will be circulated for consultation with all stakeholders.
The meeting, however, was requested by the Medical Council with the aim of overhauling the Medical Practitioners Act of 1991 and the Code of Conduct and Standards of Practice Regulations 2008.
The body had complained that the legislation and Regulations were defective in many respects, including that they make it very difficult for the Medical Council to take disciplinary action against medical practitioners who may be guilty of professional misconduct and malpractice. It was also emphasised that there were major inconsistencies between the Act and the Regulations, which may have made the Regulations ultra vires. Further, the Act is four decades old and has become outdated.
The Attorney General thanked the Medical Council delegation for their initiative and expressed his awareness of the deficiencies identified. He also related his personal experiences when as a lawyer in private practice, he lodged many complaints with the Council for and on behalf of victims of alleged medical malpractice but they were never investigated owing to the said deficiencies.
Nandlall stated that he has filed several claims in the courts over the past six years for medical negligence, some of which were still in the system and some were settled with the State having to pay millions of dollars.
He lamented the many reports in the media alleging medical negligence resulting in the loss of lives, without anyone being held responsible or culpable.
He reminded the team that the Government of Guyana was committed to modernising the entire legislative infrastructure, including that of the health sector and would happily work with all stakeholders in this vital endeavour.
The delegation from the Medical Council was led by its Chairman, Dr Navindranuth Rambaran; Legal Advisor, Attorney-at-Law Kamal Ramkarran and Secretary Juanita Johnson.
Also present at the meeting was Senior Drafting Consultant in the Attorney General’s Chambers, Ananda Dhurjon.