For GHA managers, settling out of court is a complex business

The Gibraltar Health Authority has fronted over £1million in out of court settlements and reimbursements over the past five years.

Some of the court settlements the GHA has had to deal with include claims for misdiagnosis, while the reimbursements can be a result of “referrals to external institutions”.

Health Minister Dr John Cortes, Deputy Director for Corporate Services Evelyn Cervan and Principal Secretary Christine Crawford discussed the issue with the Chronicle.

According to government statistics the amount paid out reached its peak in 2014 when around £426,000 was handed out.

Half of the claims were reimbursements, meaning that in 2014 £220,000 was paid in settlements and the rest was paid in reimbursements.

Over the past five years the total amount paid out reached just under £1.2 million.

Although many complaints and reimbursements are dealt with promptly, others can take much longer.

That means figures available on the Gibraltar Government website statistics page regarding this issue can be “misleading”, Ms Crawford said.

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