Egypt's Medical Liability and Patient Safety Law, No. 13 of 2025, is now in force. Most coverage focused on medical errors and penalties, but for a clinic owner two everyday things matter most: informed consent, and documenting what happens with each patient.
This post walks through the law in practical terms: what the sources say, and what it may mean for your forms and patient files. It is not legal advice, so for a specific case, ask a lawyer or your syndicate.
When did it start applying?
The law was issued on 28 April 2025. According to legal commentary, it came into force six months after publication in the Official Gazette, on 29 October 2025. So we are about a year into it, and it is no longer new.
It sets out the duties of healthcare providers and institutions and how medical errors are investigated. It separates an ordinary medical error from a gross one, and creates a government-backed insurance fund for risks arising from medical errors.
Informed consent is more than a signature
The law gives informed consent a central role between doctor and patient. It must be written, clear, and cover the potential risks, and the law provides legal alternatives where a patient lacks capacity.
Patients also keep the right to accept or refuse a procedure, and to leave a facility against the provider's recommendation, as long as they were properly informed and gave their consent. So the doctor's explanation is the real thing, and the paper proves it happened.
Dental clinics: ministerial decision 444 of 2025
Dr. Hazem El-Berry, an assistant secretary general of the Dental Syndicate, said on TV that informed consent is now a basic condition for licensing and renewing dental clinics. He said the Minister of Health issued decision 444 of 2025 to extend it to all dental clinics, and that every procedure, simple or complex, needs the patient's prior consent along with an explanation of details and possible complications.
He added that the syndicate registers clinics as part of licensing with the Ministry of Health and checks that consent forms are used at registration. If you run a dental clinic, the form is not optional.
Documentation: every procedure, every history
The law stresses following accepted scientific standards, accurately documenting every medical procedure, and recording the patient's medical history before treatment. A law faculty dean, explaining the law, listed core duties: informed consent, approved treatment protocols, and practicing within your specialty.
In practice, if a complaint comes, the first thing anyone asks for is the patient file: the complaint, the examination, what the patient was told, and what was done and when. A well-organized file protects you far better than memory.
The Higher Committee and the insurance fund
The law creates a Higher Committee for Medical Liability that reviews alleged errors before judicial proceedings. The government-backed insurance fund handles compensation, so patients are compensated without doctors carrying ruinous personal liability.
One more point: any agreement that tries to waive or limit liability is prohibited, apart from specific cases. A line at the bottom of a form saying the clinic is not responsible will not help you.
What to review in your clinic
- Consent forms: a written form for each procedure that needs one, in language the patient understands.
- Medical history: recorded before the first treatment, not after.
- The file: complaint, examination, diagnosis, plan and procedure in one place, in date order.
- Scope: procedures done in the clinic fall within the doctor's specialty.
- Copies: signed papers photographed and kept in the patient's file.
Where clinic software helps (and where it doesn't)
Software like Kashfy does not replace a consent form or give legal advice. It helps with the documentation part. The visit screen holds the complaint, examination, provisional diagnosis, management plan and procedures in the order a doctor thinks, and every field saves itself when you move on. See the Visit Workspace.
Every visit also keeps a timeline, and notes, documents and photos attach to the patient profile, so you can upload a photo of the signed consent there. And when a patient hands the doctor a lab paper, the Doctor Assistant files it only after the doctor confirms.
Sources
- Lexis Middle East - Egypt: Medical Liability and Patient Safety Law Comes into Force
- Andersen Egypt - Law No 13 of 2025 Redefines Medical Liability in Egypt
- ADSERO - Egypt Introduces Comprehensive Law on Medical Liability and Patient Safety
- Al-Dostor - informed consent as a basic condition for dental clinic licensing
- Al-Watan - informed consent required for licensing and renewing private clinics
- Egypt Telegraph - how the medical liability law protects patients and doctors
