By Oluwabukola Akanni
Ibadan – The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) says it is currently investigating not less than 90 medical malpractice petitions filed against some of its members.
The Registrar, Dr Tajudeen Sanusi, made this known on Thursday in Ibadan on the sidelines of a Distinguished Alumni Lecture organised by the Faculty of Dentistry, College of Medicine, at the University of Ibadan.
The lecture, which was organised as part of activities to mark the 70th anniversary of the Ibadan Medical School was entitled: “Medical Malpractice and You’’.
Sanusi said that medical malpractice or negligence could involve diagnosis, medication, dosage and health treatment or management of the complainants.
According to him, medical malpractice or negligence occurs when a doctor fails to conduct or practice medicine and dentistry, in accordance with stipulated standards.
“Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare professional or provider neglects to provide appropriate treatment, omits to take an appropriate action, or gives substandard treatment that causes harm, injury, or death to a patient.
“Medical negligence also involves failure to monitor the claimant’s condition or a delay in diagnosis, premature discharge of patients and failure to undertake appropriate investigation.
“I must, without any form of bias, commend the University College Hospital, Ibadan for staying above board in patients’ safety and care,’’ he said.
The Registrar said increased public awareness about medical malpractice had turned attention to patients’ safety.
He urged patients to also take responsibility for their health and safety, adding that medical negligence involved the actions or inaction of both doctors and patients.
“The consequence of medical negligence can be grave, at times leading to the death of the patients concerned, apart from those that can result in disability.
“As a patient, it is your duty to ensure that the doctor you see is a registered doctor and not a quack.
“You have the right to ask questions and the doctor is duty bound to respond to those questions relating to your health and it is necessary for a patient to give consent to receive any proposed treatment,’’ he said.
Sanusi urged doctors to shun acts of unethical practices and make the health and well-being of patients their priority, as stipulated in the oath of the profession.
“Previously, cases of medical negligence were very rare in the country, as it was attributed to the absence of proper public awareness.
“That is changing now with increasing awareness on patients’ safety and it has become imperative to make quality care a top priority, particularly as ignorance before the law is not an excuse,’’ he said.
Earlier, in his Chairman’s remarks, Prof. Edmund Nwana, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, urged doctors to imbibe the finest traditions of their profession.
Nwana noted that maintaining integrity in the management of patients would stem the risk of medical negligence.