Legal protections for Louisiana doctors during disasters advance

The Lousiana Legislature is nearing final passage on a package of bills designed to protect medical personnel from lawsuits that stem from healthcare delivered during emergencies. Two of the measures are inspired and backed by a New Orleans physician who was arrested but never indicted and still faces civil lawsuits related to patient deaths at Memorial Medical Center after Hurricane Katrina. The bills would provide lawsuit protections for paid medical professionals not covered under the Samaritan Act, which offers immunity from civil lawsuits for providers who voluntarily offer their care to an emergency victim in need.