No gratuity for ‘erring’ doctors: ministry

Doctors who are sacked by their employers after committing a medical error are not entitled for gratuity and other end-of-service benefits, according to the UAE Ministry of Human Resources.

The Ministry outlined the rule in its response to a complaint by a Dubai medical centre that a doctor insists on having his end-of-service benefits after he was sacked by the centre for committing a medical error.

The centre said the unnamed doctor was sacked on the basis of a report by health authorities that he committed an error while treating a patient.

“There was a good reason for terminating the doctor’s services by the employer…in this case, the doctor is not entitled for gratuity, end-of-service benefits and any compensation for the sacking before the end of his contract,” the Ministry said in its response, published by the Arabic language daily Emarat Al Youm.