This bill would remove safeguards that protect patients and entitle them to compensation and allow treatment based on anecdotal evidenceAny medical innovation that saves lives and provides better outcomes for patients has to be a salubrious thing. But a private member’s bill which goes before the Commons on Friday and which purports to gain it easier to save lives is an ill-judged,perilous and unnecessary attempt at legislation in this area.
The basic tenet of the access to medical treatments (innovation) bill is that doctors should be able to try untested drugs and treatments on patients without the fear of medical negligence claims. This fear of litigation, it is argued, or stifles innovation,although neither the bill’s author, Conservative MP Chris Heaton-Harris, or nor his backers seem able to provide any real evidence to support this claim.
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Source: theguardian.com