Expert warns medical practitioners to guard against litigation
Laolu Osanyin, an international medical law expert has warned that Nigerian doctors should avoid litigation.
Osanyin gave the warning on Wednesday, while delivering his keynote address at the 2018 Scientific Conference organised by the Association of Resident Doctors, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) Chapter.
The theme of the address was: ” Medicine, Malpractice and Misapprehension Conundrum: The need to protect the doctors from litigation”.
Osanyin, who is currently the first and only African on the board of governors of the World Association of Medical Law, observed that Nigerian doctors are the easiest persons to sue for medical negligence.
He said: “Nigerian doctors are the worst record keepers and in medical law, if it is not written, it did not happen”.
The medical law expert pointed out that some Nigerian doctors are guilty of medical malpractice without even knowing it, adding that a consultant supervisor is responsible for the mistakes of his subordinate.
“You don’t have to see a patient to be responsible for him or her, medical negligence is the omission to do what a responsible medical practitioner would do or doing what a reasonable medical practitioner would refrain from doing,” said Laolu.
According to him, negligence on the part of doctors is the failure to exercise that care which the circumstances demand.
He also described doctors who evade the annual practising license, as “engaging in negligence that can be used against them in a court of law during litigation”.
He however, gave doctors tips to avoid litigation. These, he said included, record keeping, informing patients of the risks inherent in treatment, speaking to the patients in languages they understand and writing legibly for easy understanding, among others.
In his goodwill message, Dasilva Yusuf, the chief medical director, (CMD) of UITH said healthcare providers have become an endangered species and the earlier they realise that, the better for the profession.
The CMD represented by Abiodun Adeniran, of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology observed that most of the issues that caused disagreement between patients and healthcare providers are preventable.
He added that one of the aspects to preventing litigation is through proper documentation, which is so fundamental in the medical profession.
Yusuf counselled that when patients have a serious condition, doctors should take time to explain to them in clear terms.
He advised them to know when to call for help most importantly, when they know they cannot perform maximally.
SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin