AN EVALUATION OF THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE PROTECTION OF USERS OF MEDICAL SERVICES IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The medical services sector is one of the most critical for Nigeria’s economic and social development. Medical service is significant and delicate because it directly affects human lives. Providers of medical services are required under the relevant laws to undergo professional training for a requisite period because of the uniqueness of this service. Every citizen of Nigeria is a potential user of medical service at one point or the other. Medical accidents account for one of the globally acknowledged causes of death. Many of the victims do not live to tell the story. The need to protect the end users of medical services is unarguable. This paper attempts an appraisal of the legal framework for the protection of users of medical services in Nigeria. The paper found that Nigerian patients are vulnerable to various medical hazards including loss of life. The paper also found that victims do not get adequate legal redress because of leakages in the legal framework for the protection of end users of medical services in Nigeria. The paper further found that there is a need to rework the legal framework to ensure adequate protection of the end users of medical services in Nigeria.