REPRESENTATIVES of the Medical Council of Guyana (MCG), on Thursday, met with Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., to discuss an overhauling of the Medical Practitioners Act 1991 and the Code of Conduct and Standards of Practice Regulations 2008.

The delegation present at the meeting, which was upon the request of the council, was led by Chairman of the MCG, Dr. Navindranuth Rambaran; Legal Adviser, Attorney-at-Law, Kamal Ramkarran and Secretary, Juanita Johnson.

Also present was at the meeting was Senior Drafting Consultant in the Attorney- General’s Chambers, Ananda Dhurjon. The council highlighted strong concerns regarding the legislation and regulations, describing it as “defective” in many respects, noteworthy, pertaining to instituting disciplinary action against medical professionals who are found guilty of professional misconduct and malpractice.

“It was also emphasised, that there are 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 Further, the Act is four decades old and has become outdated,” a press release from the Attorney- General Chambers noted.

The Attorney-General registered the council’s concerns, and extended appreciation towards the delegation for the initiative. He highlighted his awareness of the deficiencies, which he experienced during his private practice of the law.

He had lodged many complaints with the council for and on behalf of victims of alleged medical malpractice but those complaints were never investigated because of the said deficiencies, the release explained.

“Mr. Nandlall also stated that he has filed several claims in the Courts over the past six years for medical negligence, some are in the system and some were settled with the State having to pay millions of dollars. He also lamented the many reports in the media alleging medical negligence, resulting in the loss of life, without anyone being held responsible or culpable,” the release stated.

Nandlall noted that the Government of Guyana is committed to overhauling and modernising the country’s legal infrastructure, inclusive of the legislation governing the health sector and will work with every stakeholder organisation in doing so.

Consequent to the meeting, an arrangement was initiated for the MCG and the Drafting Department of the Ministry of Legal Affairs to collaborate in establishing a draft bill which will be circulated for consultation with all stakeholders.