Medical litigation costs rise in Ireland

Figures from the Medical Defence Union show a 460% rise in the cost of medical litigation, in Ireland, between 1990 and 1998. Four recent obstetrics-based cases led to awards totalling IR£4.6mn. While only 2% of MDU members were obstetricians, these four cases accounted for 45% of case reserves; doctors in Ireland are four times as likely to be sued as their English counterparts.