Patients Right Medical Personnels Must Not Break Including Patients Rights Limitation In Nigeria

Patient Right

Medical personnel’s have statutory duties to their patients. These duties to patients are taught them while in school. However, most patients do not know they have rights.
This is the reason their rights are trampled upon. As for those that know that they have right, they may not know when that right is abused. For medical personnel’s, they have their rights too. However, it is hardly abused by patients. This is the reason why patients’ right is more fitting to discuss.

Patient’s rights when they visit with medical personnel varies from one setting to the other. This right is almost similar in all settings. Although, there may be some slight differences from one set to the other.

The government of each country like Nigeria, set up these laws and sanction when they are broken. Due to religion, awareness, social sentiments, or prejudice victims of patient's right abuse hardly instigate actions. Another reason while things like that happen is a lack of government willpower in carrying out the law to the later. This is because the few that were brave enough to do did not get the victory they think they deserve. However, the trend of taking the medical practitioner to court is experiencing and increase in trend with evidence from a number of cases per year over the past few years.

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 Patients Right

The following are to adhere to from a medical practitioner in Nigeria:

1. Non-disclosure: On no account should a practitioner withhold medical information from a patient when it is related to the patient's’ health condition. This include risk factor of the disease condition when not treated and the various risk with the different treatment options.
2. Written Consent: Patients ought to know all about the options available from explanations given. This will, in turn, lead the patient to accept it. Without that, consent for treatment is void. Consent must be given for treatment to be received. However, there seem to be some exceptions here such like when the patient is a baby or unconscious where a guardian will speak.
3. Privacy: Patient most of the time needs privacy during the medical discussion. Could be from public or even family members. This right must be respected to the core. This will in turn boost confidence and enhance communication. The settings must be in accordance with a standard that will not be a cause of concern for the patient.
4. Confidentiality: Patients Medical records must be kept safe from the public, other health care personnel’s and family members unless otherwise expressed by the patient. Just as when a priest does when he hears a confession and keep it to himself, practitioners must respect patients data.
5. Refer: Must not attempt to treat conditions that he cannot handle when capable hands are available. This is one of the most common abuses of patient’s right in Nigeria.
6. Behaviour: Patients must receive treatment from practitioners that well behave and not those that turn off patients. Good listening is vital and crucial to patient care which is opposite of negligent. It is a serious offence.
7. Freedom Of Action: You have the freedom to reject treatments as to drug, dose, as well as discharge day. No restrictions as far as the implication of such Act have been explained.
8. Medical Records: Patients is the owner of his/her medical card record in any medical establishment. The hospital only helps in safekeeping. Even though the patient is not allowed to leave the hospital with it, they have every right to access it after asking for it anytime, any day.
9. Medical Centre Rules: No normal person will want to break the rule of an establishment. To avoid a scenario like that, the proper thing to do is to get to know the laws governing patient’s visitation and stay and other vitals. This includes visitation hours, the cost of the bed, and other basics and no staff are to withhold such information.
10. Others include: Manslayer, rape, murder, adultery and are all against the medical practice.

Exceptions To The Rule Of Confidentiality Of Patient Information

However, there are certain situations where a doctor can break the law and be legal. Failure to do may incur the wrath of the law. This involves reporting a patient that falls into the following categories:

1. Any case of injury and burns, which may arouse suspicion, any case of vehicular, factory or unnatural accident especially when there is the likelihood of death or grievous injury.
2. Evidence of sexual assault or molestation.
3. Suspected or evidence criminal abortion.
4. Suspected or evidence poison or intoxication
5. Cases of suspected self-infliction of injuries or attempted suicide.
6. Cases of people brought in dead to the hospital with improper history, creating suspicion of an offence.
7. Cases of referral from a court order, police order and or insurance company.

Apart from these, there are also situations that may warrant disclosure of medical records to a third party. This involves situations that require using discretion like:

1. Referral: A doctor can provide medical records when in a tight corner sharing vital medical records. This may happen in cases of referral. In such a case, the information given out are those that are relating to the reason for the referral only and to the receiving specialist ONLY. This happens most at times in emergencies.
2. Public Interest: There is a thin line here which make it a very crucial topic like, 'when it is in the public best interests.' Well, that depends on the practitioner. However, to explain the thin line a little, imagine a man with a contagious disease and is going about deliberately spreading it. Maybe, in such a case, the practitioner can make the health status of such ones public.

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Medical Code Against Medical Personnel

1. Failure to attend to emergency patients when free
2. Incompetence during assessment
3. Making improper diagnosis when there are glaring signs and symptoms
4. Failure to give advice or a wrong one
5. Mistake of wrong drugs or dose in a proper diagnose case
6. Failure to do something good when it is within your power
7. Failure to communicate to patients or caregiver

The duty of pharmacist as caregivers is to safeguard the patient from dangerous drug use. This include altering drug, dose, or dosage regimen with respect to the knowledge of the medical conditions of the patient available.

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