Brussels, 14/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - In the light of ever-increasing legal disputes over healthcare, the Council of Europe is organising a conference to be held on 2 and 3 June 2008 in Strasbourg (France) on medical liability, in order to set European standards in this area. Over the past 20 years, the number of complaints has significantly increased, causing patients to lose confidence in the medical profession and increasing pressure on the courts. The subsequent increase in the cost of insurance premiums for health professionals and hospitals now risks undermining health systems. With this in mind, the Council of Europe is aiming to identify good practice in the sphere of medical liability in its member states. The conference will be divided into four main sessions: - overview of medical liability in Europe; - legal approach to medical liability issues (with nosocomial infection and errors in ante-natal diagnosis being the subject of more in-depth discussion); - alternative methods for resolving medical disputes, and mediation; - and the role and responsibility of the private and public sectors for financing medial liability claims. It is organised by the Council of Europe Committees: the European Health Committee, the Steering Committee on Bioethics and the European Committee on Legal Cooperation. For further information: http://www.coe.int/medical-liability . (O.J.)