Singapore Medical Indemnity

The most important decision that you need to make when you take out SMI protection is the choice of Limit of Indemnity. Like any insurance policy, SMI provides doctors with the option of choosing from a range of limits that will apply in the aggregate to all claims arising from treatment provided during the one-year policy period. . SMI provides choices of limit ranging from S$5 million to S$15 million in the aggregate. When selecting your SMI limit of indemnity, please consider the following:

• The nature of your practice. Some specialties, including obstetrics, orthopaedics and neurosurgery have a higher risk of large malpractice claims due to the nature of treatment or the age of the patients.
• The number of patients you see. The SMI limit of indemnity is an aggregate limit, which means that the limit is shared amongst all claims arising from treatment given during the 12-month policy period. The possibility of the limit being required to cover more than one claim should be taken into account.
• The impact of inflation. While most malpractice claims in Singapore need to be brought within three years of the date of discovery, in some cases it is possible for claims to be brought many years after the date of treatment. The limit of indemnity that you select therefore needs to account for the possibility that a claim made in the future may be a higher value claim than it is today.

Please refer to the discussion set out in Appendix 1 of the SMI Handbook for further details. Should you require any assistance in selecting an appropriate limit of indemnity please contact the Aon SMI Service Team members.

For Obstetricians seeking protection under SMI, some special requirements apply. Cover is only available to those Obstetricians who carry out any obstetric or gynaecological admission (on either a day patient or inpatient basis) at one or more of the following hospitals:

Mount Elizabeth Orchard Hospital
Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital
Gleneagles Hospital
Parkway East Hospital

SMI will provide cover to OBGs for non-hospitalisation treatment carried out anywhere in Singapore, including in the OBGs own clinic or the patient’s home. However, in respect of hospitalisation, cover is limited to the four hospitals listed above. For OBGs who carry out some or all of their hospitalisations at other hospitals, SMI does not provide an adequate protection and should not be taken up.

Should you have any questions in relation to the protection provided by SMI please contact the SMI Service Team.