The law and ethical codes of medical malpractice in Nigeria : an analytical study

Abstract

Globally, medical profession is a career dedicated to the health service of humanity. It is a complex, risky, challenging and specialized field of learning where simple act, error or omission can be sufficient to trigger litigation against the practitioner. Medical profession is increasingly confronted with legal issues involving medical malpractice. In Nigeria, medical malpractice incidences have been on the increase in spite of the codes of medical ethics and the laws that regulate and guide the practice of medicine. These malpractices range from wrong diagnosis, poor infrastructure, failed surgery to failure to attend promptly to a patient who needs urgent attention. The researcher adopts the qualitative method and the findings revealed that medical malpractice in Nigeria is indeed on the rise. This research seeks to examine various causes of medical malpractice, the code of ethics and the criminal codes adopted in Nigeria. This research will also examine the legal liability of medical practice in both UK and Malaysia and learn from their experiences. The research also examines the views of the Islamic medical experts in the Malaysian context since the country has built up a reputation unique to serving the Ummah in the field of medicine.