10 Patient Bill of Rights every Nigerian should know
12 Patients' Bill of Rights every Nigerian Should Know
Have you or your relatives ever experienced poor treatment by a health care professional in the course of receiving Medical attention in the hospital? Well i have on many occasions and i must tell you that it has been a terrible experience. Imagine yourself being taken to the hospital in pains or in a state of emergency and the people who are charged with the responsibility of taking care of you just treat you with disdain and levity or some may even insult you. These and some other issues are what Many Nigerians go through on a daily basis when they visit the hospital.
Thankfully, there is a ray of hope to Nigerians. The Consumer Protection Council, Nigerian Medical Association and the Federal Ministry of Health have developed the Patients' bill of right is aimed at regulating the relationship between the patient and the health care practitioner as well as specify the rights and responsibility of both the patient and the health care provider.
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The Consumer Protection Council Director General, Mr. Babatunde Irukera said that the council took interest in protecting consumers in the health care sector considering that life expectancy depends on the quality of health care delivery in the Country. Presently the life expectancy of an average Nigerian is 52 years compared to that of France which is 82 years.
The Patient's bill of rights actually got its origin from the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights which recognizes the "inherent dignity" as well as the "equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family". It is on the basis on the fundamental dignity and equality of the human person" that the notion of the patients' right was formed. The Patients' bill of right was first adopted by the American Hospital Association in 1973 and revised in October 1992.
The bill of rights was launched by the Vice President on the 31st of July 2018 and it contains 12 provisions that are aimed to protect the interest of patients as well as to increase the standard of health care quality in Nigeria. More importantly, it seeks to eliminate quack health care professionals in the Country as it would serve as a weapon in the hands of the patients. Below are the 12 Patient's bill of rights.
1. Right to Relevant Information : Every Patient has a right to relevant information in a language and manner the patient understands, including complete and accurate information about diagnosis,treatment, prognosis, other procedures and possible outcomes.
2. Access to Medical Records : Every Patient has the right of timely access to detailed and accurate records and available services. It also provides for a patient's right to access the record of the identity, skills and credentials of treating professionals and care providers published by the Federal/State Ministry of health or other relevant authorities.
3. Right to Transparent Billing : A Patient has the right to transparent billing and full disclosure of any cost including recommended treatment plans.
4. Right to Privacy and Confidentiality: Patients have the right to privacy and confidentiality of all information and medical records unless disclosure is vital and in the interest of public health and in accordance with the prevailing law.
5. Right to Clean,safe and secure health care environment: Every Patient has the right to be treated in a clean, safe and secure environment.
6. Right to be treated with respect and dignity: Patients have the right to be treated with respect, regardless of gender, age, race, religion, ethnicity, allegations of crime, disability or economic circumstances.
7. Right to receive urgent Care: This provides for the right of every Nigerian Patient or a foreigner resident in Nigeria to receive urgent, immediate and sufficient medical intervention and care in the event of an emergency, prioritizing such needed attention over other factors including cost and payment as well as law enforcement requirements. This provision therefore prohibits the demand of a police report before treating an injured person. Every health care provider in Nigeria must maintain a sufficiently responsive an
8. Right to reasonable Visitation : As a patient receiving health care in a hospital in Nigeria, you have the right to receive visitors including visitors for religious purposes provided it is in accordance with the rules and regulations of the facility. The health care providers have the responsibility of informing patients and relatives of visitation rules upon admission and any subsequent modification. In addition there should be a conspicuous display of the visitation rules/schedule of the facility by health care providers.
9. Right to decline care: Patients at all times retain the control of their person and must be informed by the health care providers, their power to decline care upon full disclosure of the consequences of such decisions. This right seeks to protect a patient's freedom of choice especially when it relates to the personal or religious belief of the patient but the health care provider has a legal duty to inform such patient of the consequences of refusing treatments as well as the benefits.
10. Right to decline or accept to participate in Medical Research: I have experienced several instances especially in teaching hospitals where a team of medical Doctors gather round a patient for the purpose of research or educating younger Doctors about symptoms they should look out for when treating a particular ailment. Well this provision states that unless the patient consents to this, they should not be used for medical research or clinical trials in the course of treatment.
2. Access to Medical Records : Every Patient has the right of timely access to detailed and accurate records and available services. It also provides for a patient's right to access the record of the identity, skills and credentials of treating professionals and care providers published by the Federal/State Ministry of health or other relevant authorities.
3. Right to Transparent Billing : A Patient has the right to transparent billing and full disclosure of any cost including recommended treatment plans.
4. Right to Privacy and Confidentiality: Patients have the right to privacy and confidentiality of all information and medical records unless disclosure is vital and in the interest of public health and in accordance with the prevailing law.
5. Right to Clean,safe and secure health care environment: Every Patient has the right to be treated in a clean, safe and secure environment.
6. Right to be treated with respect and dignity: Patients have the right to be treated with respect, regardless of gender, age, race, religion, ethnicity, allegations of crime, disability or economic circumstances.
7. Right to receive urgent Care: This provides for the right of every Nigerian Patient or a foreigner resident in Nigeria to receive urgent, immediate and sufficient medical intervention and care in the event of an emergency, prioritizing such needed attention over other factors including cost and payment as well as law enforcement requirements. This provision therefore prohibits the demand of a police report before treating an injured person. Every health care provider in Nigeria must maintain a sufficiently responsive an
8. Right to reasonable Visitation : As a patient receiving health care in a hospital in Nigeria, you have the right to receive visitors including visitors for religious purposes provided it is in accordance with the rules and regulations of the facility. The health care providers have the responsibility of informing patients and relatives of visitation rules upon admission and any subsequent modification. In addition there should be a conspicuous display of the visitation rules/schedule of the facility by health care providers.
9. Right to decline care: Patients at all times retain the control of their person and must be informed by the health care providers, their power to decline care upon full disclosure of the consequences of such decisions. This right seeks to protect a patient's freedom of choice especially when it relates to the personal or religious belief of the patient but the health care provider has a legal duty to inform such patient of the consequences of refusing treatments as well as the benefits.
10. Right to decline or accept to participate in Medical Research: I have experienced several instances especially in teaching hospitals where a team of medical Doctors gather round a patient for the purpose of research or educating younger Doctors about symptoms they should look out for when treating a particular ailment. Well this provision states that unless the patient consents to this, they should not be used for medical research or clinical trials in the course of treatment.
10. Right to decline or accept to participate in Medical
Research: I have experienced several instances especially in teaching
hospitals where a team of medical Doctors gather round a patient for the
purpose of research or educating younger Doctors about symptoms they should
look out for when treating a particular ailment. Well this provision states
that unless the patient consents to this, no patient should not be used for
medical research or clinical trials in the course of treatment.
11. Right to quality care: Every patient has the right to quality health
care and health care providers irrespective of disability. In addition, the
bill of right has empowered a patient with the authority to demand for the
health care provider's licence to practice, as well as a Current Certificate of
Standards, which is an evidence of authorization to operate within its approved
scope of practice. So if you are consultant in Family Medicine, by virtue of
this section of the patient bill of rights, you are prohibited from setting up
a private practice in Orthopedic surgery. This would adequately reduce the
incidence of quack health care professionals which is so prevalent in
Nigeria. This section also entrusts the healthcare provider with the
responsibility of minimizing risk and harm to patients including
preventable injury and errors. By this provision, health care providers are
mandated to adopt clinical governance standards and provide the best care while
protecting patients from harm, or abuse.
12. Right to Complain and Express dissatisfaction regarding
services received. As a patient and a consumer of health care services, you have the
right to express dissatisfaction regarding the services and/or the provider
including personnel changes and abuse. Patients must be informed by
the healthcare providers of the various channels of seeking redress or
expressing complaints in accordance with the procedure of the facilities. It is
the provider's responsibility of setting up customer care centers, feedback
mechanisms and dispute resolution mechanism within its health care
facility. The aggrieved patient also has the responsibility of providing
sufficient details of his/her dissatisfaction to the complaints redress unit of
the health care center. Where such patient is dissatisfied with the outcome of
the redress, he or she has a duty to further report the matter to the
appropriate regulatory authority such as the Consumer Protection Council,
Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria etc. If not still
satisfied with their outcomes, seek the advice of a Legal Practitioner.
So when next you or your loved ones visit the hospital and any of
these rights is violated, report immediately to the Consumer Protection Council
or seek your Lawyer's advice. #Beaninformedconsumer #yourrightisyourweapon
#healthiswealth
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