Hospitals and other health care facilities that may have to deal with Ebola may already apply for the liability coverage offered by Aon, a British insurance cover.
As to what this coverage entails, clients can be covered up to $25 million for any general liability issues that may arise because of Ebola, such as patients that may not be accepted for admission for whatever reason.
Although it's backed by a British company, the plan is meant for the U.S. market, although Aon believes that it's scalable and flexible enough to be customized according to the needs of their other international markets.
The United States already has 4 confirmed Ebola cases, with new suspicious ones reported regularly. The first patient, Eric Thomas Duncan, came from Liberia and was diagnosed in Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, where he later died when his condition turned for the worse. Two of health workers who took care of him also developed an infection, although they have already been released after a few weeks when their Ebola tests came back negative.
An NY doctor, Craig Spencer, has also been diagnosed with the same infection and is currently being treated in Bellevue Hospital. His doctors said that his condition has already improved.
Nevertheless, the hospital came under fire with the way they handled these Ebola cases. One, they sent the first patient back home when he started showing symptoms. Two, health workers have criticized them, and the U.S. health care system as a whole, for lack of preparation or readiness in fighting Ebola. They have complained about lack of proper training when it comes to wearing and removing PPE (personal protective equipment), where any problem, from gap to tear, can already leave them vulnerable to contact with bodily fluids from infected Ebola patients.
A nurse in Maine, meanwhile, continues to defy the quarantine imposed by its local health officials. A judge has already ruled in favor of Kaci Hickox.
