The Role of Regulation in Protecting Healthcare Workers from Malpractice Lawsuits

Abstract

 Health services are a crucial element in ensuring the welfare of the community. Medical personnel and health workers have a great responsibility in providing professional, fast, and appropriate services. However, behind their noble duties, medical and health personnel also face various legal risks that can arise due to negligence, procedural errors, or lawsuits from patients and patients' families. In this condition, legal protection is very important to ensure a sense of security, work comfort, and legal certainty for health workers in carrying out their duties optimally and in accordance with professional ethical standards. This study was conducted to examine the urgency of legal protection for medical personnel and health workers in health service practices in Indonesia. The research method used is a qualitative approach with a normative-juridical method. Data was obtained through literature studies, analysis of relevant laws and regulations. This approach is used to identify the forms of legal protection that are available and the extent to which they are being applied in the field. The main problem found in this study is the weak implementation of legal protection for health workers. Many cases show that medical personnel are the most vulnerable parties when a medical dispute occurs, although it is not necessarily legal negligence. The lack of legal assistance, the lack of understanding of medical personnel of their legal rights, and weak protection regulations at the institutional level exacerbate this situation. The results of the study show that legal protection must be preventive and curative. Preventively, there needs to be regular legal education and professional ethics training for health workers. The conclusion of this study emphasizes that the importance of legal protection for medical personnel and health workers is not only to protect the interests of individuals, but also to maintain the quality of health services as a whole. Without strong legal protections, healthcare workers will work under high and suboptimal pressure, which ultimately impacts patient safety. Therefore, synergy between regulations, health institutions, and legal professionals is urgently needed to build a fair and effective legal protection system.