Discover MEDEFEND
Protecting medical professionals against medical indemnity claims
MEDEFEND is a holistic indemnity scheme that covers individual medical practitioners from all specialties against actual or alleged claims of negligence in Singapore.
The scheme is tailor-made to meet the long-term and evolving needs of medical practitioners. It provides access to some of the best medico-legal advisors available and a dedicated team manages the scheme to ensure all claims and notifications are handled competently and professionally.
Benefits of MEDEFEND
- Loss and defense expenses for medical negligence claims
- Vicarious Liability cover for employed nurses and locum doctors
- Access to an experienced panel of medico-legal lawyers
- Free run off cover for Retired, Disabled, and the Estate of Deceased Doctors
- Extension for loss of medical records and breach of personal data
- Covers public relations and counselling costs
- Legal representation costs in the event of a disciplinary enquiry
- Worldwide cover for Good Samaritan acts and volunteer work
The above benefits are subject to terms and conditions of the policy or certificate.
Our Trusted Insurers
MEDEFEND is insured by Allied World Insurance and Chubb and Singapore Medical Association.
Allied World Insurance
A leading provider of innovative property, casualty and specialty insurance, and reinsurance solutions, Allied World (under Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG) is committed to delivering exceptional client service through its global network of offices and branches. Allied World’s insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries have been rated highly by reputable rating agencies indicating a strong financial standing and the ability to meet insurance obligations.
For more information about the company, please visit http://www.awac.com/
Chubb
As the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurer, Chubb Insurance has had a long-standing presence in Singapore since 1948. Chubb Insurance Singapore specializes in risk management and underwriting expertise across various major classes of general insurance including Property and Casualty, Marine, Liability, Financial Lines, and Group Personal Accident Insurance.
Chubb in Singapore has built strong client relationships by delivering responsive service, introducing innovative products, and establishing market leadership based on its financial strength. Please visit https://www2.chubb.com/sg-en/ for more information.
Singapore Medical Association
Established in 1959, the Singapore Medical Association (SMA) is a national medical organisation representing the majority of medical practitioners in both public and private sectors. SMA plays a pivotal role in promoting the medical and allied sciences in Singapore. We recognise that the doctor-patient relationship is fundamental to advancements in healthcare, policy decisions, technological innovations, and business practices. We are dedicated to safeguarding this relationship.
For more information about the company, please visit https://www.sma.org.sg/
How to apply
For new applicants, please follow the instructions under How to Apply. To renew your policy, please follow the instructions under How to Renew.
How to renew
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Related insights
FAQs
You need MEDEFEND because it is a compulsory requirement for all Registered Medical Practitioners (“RMP”s) to have Medical Indemnity and 20 CPD points for their Annual Practicing Certificate (“APC”) application. The Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) stated that the compulsory requirement for a medical indemnity coverage for APC application only applies to:
- Full-time Private RMPs
- Government RMPs who do locum work in private practice
Please refer to the 2012 Amendments to the Medical Act 1971 (“the Act”):
Amendment of Section 20
Section 20 of the Act is amended –
(a) by substituting for subsection (1) the following subsection:
“(1) Any fully registered person who desires to practise as a medical practitioner after the thirty-first day of December of any year and who produces evidence of having satisfied any requirements or restrictions stipulated by the Council shall, not later than the first day of December of that year, make an application in the prescribed form, produce evidence of professional indemnity cover and pay the prescribed fee for a certificate to practise as a medical practitioner during the ensuing year.”
Marsh Specialty consists of the brokers managing the MEDEFEND Indemnity Scheme and is responsible for handling new applications and renewals, general inquiries, negotiating the terms and conditions of the policy, and most importantly the claims management.
Marsh Specialty, with vast experience in managing professional indemnity schemes, will strive to ensure that the members’ interest will be the utmost priority under the scheme. A dedicated claims team, consisting of former practising lawyers, will ensure the medico-legal claims and notifications from members will be handled competently and professionally. Marsh will bring the members a fresh, value-added approach to insurance whilst maintaining competitive but stable premiums.
In relation to the answer for “Why do I need MEDEFEND?”, MEDEFEND is compulsory for you if you are a:
Government doctor doing locum at a private hospital/ clinic.
You must have MEDEFEND cover as it is compulsory under the Medical Act as you do locum work.
Lecturer in a public university with a practice in the private wing.
It is compulsory for you to obtain a medical indemnity coverage as per the Medical Act.
Lecturer in a private medical university with a practice in university’s medical centre.
You will need to apply for MEDEFEND coverage to fulfil the compulsory requirement for your APC application.
It is advisable to apply for MEDEFEND if you are a:
Lecturer in a public university.
Please check with your University and/or MMC if you are indemnified by the Government. This also relates to the compulsory requirement for the APC application.
Lecturer in a private medical university.
If your work is purely as an academician, you may wish to apply for MEDEFEND under the ‘Non-Clinical Doctor’ category. This is to fulfil the compulsory requirement for your APC application. It is advisable for you to check with your university if they have a separate Educators Liability cover.
Practicing doctor under MOH Hospital/Clinic.
You are strongly advised to have MEDEFEND. It provides you with a legal representation/lawyer, and the costs will be paid by the Insurer/Takaful Operator in the event of any regulatory investigation claims and/or MMC Inquiry. MOH will not provide you with any lawyer should there be any regulatory investigation hearings and/or MMC Inquiry filed against you.
If, besides your service at MOH, you are actively involved in voluntary medical service outside your regular work, you are advised to apply MEDEFEND to protect your voluntary work.
Retiree from medical practice who wishes to retain your APC.
You can apply MEDEFEND under the ‘Non-Clinical Doctor’ category (RM380 annually) for you to satisfy the compulsory requirement for APC application. Please be mindful that under this category, there is no coverage for claims arising from your past medical practice.
There is no direct “one-size-fits-all rule” answer in determining an appropriate Limit of Indemnity coverage. It depends on the Specialty and the categories under MEDEFEND. Our recommendation would be:
- General Practitioners (GP) and Low Risk (between RM1 million to RM3 million)
- Medium Risk (between RM3 million to RM5 million)
- High Risk (between RM5 million to RM30 million)
It also depends on the size of the practice and the doctor’s risk profile. Kindly contact us to discuss if you are unsure.
Our online application has a payment gateway where you can make payment by credit card, debit card or online transfer.
You are covered by MEDEFEND if:
You helped someone involved in an accident on your off day and a claim arises from such an emergency medical situation.
MEDEFEND provides coverage under the Good Samaritan act. It means that coverage is extended for a doctor who is a bystander providing emergency medical situation. This includes medical crisis, disaster or catastrophe, as long as there is no formal Doctor-Patient Relationship, without any monetary benefits. This cover is worldwide excluding Iran and any countries sanctioned by the United Nations, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan and United States of America.
Your nurse/locum doctor makes a mistake.
You are covered under MEDEFEND for any allegation against your nurse/locum doctor. Please ensure that your nurse is covered under Clinic Liability and the locum doctor has their own MEDEFEND coverage.
You are not covered by MEDEFEND if:
You are the Person In Charge (“PIC”) in a private hospital.
MEDEFEND is an individual medical indemnity for doctors and exclude coverage as a PIC. If you are the PIC in your hospital, please get confirmation that the hospital has a Medical Liability cover. This will protect your position as the PIC.
You own a medical practice and several doctors and nurses work for you.
If you own a medical practice, you must have a separate Clinic/Entity Medical Liability cover. Such policy provides cover for your clinic and/or employees (including nurses) in the event of a medical negligence claim against them separately or collectively. It is not included in the MEDEFEND indemnity cover. For the doctors, they will need to subscribe MEDEFEND individually (this relates to the answer for “Why do I need MEDEFEND?”).
MEDEFEND is a Claims-made policy that provides Full Retroactive Cover with no additional premium. This means you get full backdate cover for all your past medical treatments PROVIDED the new claim/potential claim arises AFTER you signed up with MEDEFEND (refer to Scenario A below).
However, if you are from an Occurrence-based provider, your retroactive/backdate cover starts from the policy date when you first join MEDEFEND (refer to Scenario B below).
Scenario A: Change from Claims-made policy to MEDEFEND:
- 2018: Treated Patient A (with a previous indemnity policy)
- 2021 January: Sign up with MEDEFEND
- 2021 December: You receive a complaint letter (new awareness) from Patient A arising from the treatment in 2018. You notify Marsh of the potential claim; it is covered under MEDEFEND (subject to policy terms & conditions)
Scenario B: Change from Occurrence-based provider to MEDEFEND:
- 2018: Treated patient A (with Occurrence-based cover provider)
- 2021 January: Sign up with MEDEFEND
- 2021 December: You receive a complaint letter (new awareness) from patient A arising from the treatment in 2018. You notify Marsh of the potential claim; it is covered under the Occurrence-based and we will advise you to notify your previous provider (with Occurrence-based cover provider)
MEDEFEND is a Claims-made policy. It means if there is a new claim/ potential claim (Circumstance) being made against you, MEDEFEND will provide coverage as long as you have an active MEDEFEND policy.
Example: 3 March 2021 you receive a claim and you notify MEDEFEND. Your active MEDEFEND policy is from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021.
Under the Claims-made policy, it is important for you to notify MEDEFEND immediately once you are aware of a claim/ circumstance.
A Claim includes:
- A letter of demand
- A writ from court
A Circumstance includes:
- Lawyer/Patient requesting for medical records/report relating to a complaint
- Verbal or written complaint from a patient
- Grievance meeting
- Investigation from MOH/MMC/MDC
An Occurrence-based indemnity gives you cover for claims/circumstance arising from a medical incident within the period when you were with the indemnity provider regardless of when you notify the claim/ circumstance (when you are made aware of it).
Scenario:
- 2018: Treated patient A (you were with Occurrence-based provider)
- 2021 January : Switched to MEDEFEND and policy is from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021
- 2021 December: You receive a claim against you by Patient A and you notify MEDEFEND.
There is no coverage under MEDEFEND as the claim arises from a treatment that you gave in 2018 while you were with the Occurrence-based provider. We will advise you notify the said provider.
If you have an existing court case with your current indemnity provider, they will continue to defend you even after you have changed to MEDEFEND. Under a Claims-made policy, you notify MEDEFEND for any new awareness of a claim or circumstance. If you have an existing notification with an indemnity provider, they must continue handling the claim for you even if you have changed to MEDEFEND.
If you have an existing circumstance (potential claim) with an indemnity provider, the same rule applies. If the circumstance developed into a suit in the future, you need to inform that indemnity provider so they can appoint a lawyer to defend you in court. This is because the first notification (awareness) was made with them.
For more information on Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), please go to https://mma.org.my.
FAQs
What is MEDEFEND? |
Marsh Specialty’s MEDEFEND [formerly known as Medical Practitioners Indemnity (MPI)] is a medical malpractice insurance scheme to cover individual medical practitioners in Singapore. The insurance covers doctors and dentists from all specialties on a claims-made basis. |
Who are the Insurers for MEDEFEND? |
MEDEFEND is insured by: - Allied World Assurance Company - Chubb Insurance Singapore Ltd. - Singapore Medical Association |
What is Marsh Specialty’s role in this scheme? |
Marsh Specialty is the broker for MEDEFEND and is responsible for managing the administration (i.e. new applications, renewal applications, general inquiries etc.), broking (i.e. negotiating the terms and conditions of the policy) and assisting members with settlement of claims. In Asia, Marsh Specialty has a strong track record of managing medical malpractices. Our team will ensure that claims and notifications from members are handled competently and professionally. |
Why choose MEDEFEND as my provider? |
While there are currently a few medical indemnity providers in the Singapore market, MEDEFEND was developed by taking into account the challenges faced by the medical indemnity market. MEDEFEND seeks to provide a long-term, Singapore-based solution to medical practitioners. Marsh Specialty, working with our insurance partners, will be delivering an insurance solution to the medical industry in Singapore that will be a long-term and sustainable product, designed to meet the enduring needs of the whole profession. Insurance coverage is just the beginning. As MEDEFEND evolves we will be including value added services to medical practitioners, including advice on claims management, risk management and various articles, case studies and tips to assist medical practitioners in the course of their practice. |
How does this insurance policy operate? |
The MEDEFEND policy covers claims made against you during the policy period, as long as the claim was notified to the insurers during the same period. Therefore, you must notify Marsh Specialty as soon as reasonably practicable after you first became aware of a claim or investigation is made against you, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the policy. |
What am I covered for? |
The policy’s primary objective is to pay for legal defence costs (both from alleged or actual claims for medical negligence) and also awards for damages. Cover for claims relating to defamation is also built into the wording. The policy also provides cover for your legal costs for investigations in relation to medical council inquiries, coroner’s inquests etc. |
Am I covered for overseas work? |
The main purpose of this policy is to cover services provided in Singapore. However, the policy will cover humanitarian missions, research, training and similar activities conducted overseas – this coverage is capped at 60 days within a 12-month insurance period. |
Am I covered for Good Samaritan acts? |
Yes. The policy provides cover for Good Samaritan acts which is defined as the provision, without fee or reward, of first aid services outside of your workplace (i.e. at the scene of an emergency, accident or disaster. |
Am I covered if I receive a claim alleging negligence due to the influence of alcohol or drugs? |
The policy excludes cover for negligence arising from the use of alcohol or drugs. Nonetheless, it will cover for defence costs provided you are innocent of such allegations. |
Does the policy provide cover for locum work? Am I covered in the event my nurse makes a mistake and I am held vicariously liable? |
Yes, you are covered under MEDEFEND, subject to the terms & conditions of the policy. |
Will I still be covered after I retire from medical practice? |
An unlimited extended reporting period will be extended in the event of retirement if you have been insured under this scheme for at least 3 consecutive years. |
Is my Estate covered in the event I pass away or become legally incapacitated and my estate is sued for my past medical work? |
Yes. Upon death or legal incapacitation, the policy will continue to provide cover for claims made against your estate/heirs/legal representatives arising from medical services previously provided by you. |
What additional benefits does the policy provide me? |
Medical Data Protection – There is an extension for legal defence costs and awards for damages arising from loss of records and data or a medical data protection claim (e.g. infringement of the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 and similar breaches). Advancement of Defence Costs – The policy advances defence costs, even for acts that are not covered by the policy (e.g. fraudulent and dishonest acts, sexual abuse). Defence costs will continue to be advanced until a final and binding adjudication has been issued. |
If I switch from indemnity providers (e.g. MPS) will my past work be covered? And is it free? |
If your existing indemnity cover is provided on an occurrence basis, your MEDEFEND policy will only cover your present and future work. However, if your existing indemnity cover is provided on a claims-made basis, your MEDEFEND policy will provide the same amount of retroactive cover. |
Do you issue individual Policy? |
Yes, policies under MEDEFEND are issued on an individual practitioner basis. Each successful applicant will be issued his/her own policy schedule. |
Our people
Contact
Marsh Insurance Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.
Level 42-01A (West Wing), Q Sentral,
2A Jalan Stesen Sentral 2,
Kuala Lumpur Sentral,
50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
For MEDEFEND queries:
Phone: +603 2723 3226 (Hunting Line) /3236/ 3216
Email: Medefend.my@marsh.com