AN APPRAISAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS IN CONTEMPORARY NIGERIA

Abstract

The quest to remain in relatively good health condition is branded the fourth necessity of man after food, shelter, and clothing. The practice of medicine over the years has unfolded a series of issues including the ethical and human rights questions, especially in third world countries including Nigeria. Most often, patients suffer in the hands of health officials much as doctors are often trapped in a fix over conflict of duties on one hand and conflicts of interests and duties on the other. It is given the foregoing that, with the aid of the doctrinal legal research methodology, this article appraises medical ethics in Nigeria. This article aims to ascertain the place of medical ethics in the practice of modern medicine in Nigeria; explore the legal and institutional framework for the enforcement of medical ethics in Nigeria; and determine the challenges of medical ethics in Nigeria, determine the extent to which medical practitioners comply with the law and ethical standards regulating their profession in Nigeria; ascertain the rights of patients in modern medicine in Nigeria; and find out the extent to which these rights are protected and enforced in Nigerian Medical Practice. It was found that medical ethics found their roots in the Nigerian human rights jurisprudence; and that the medical ethics system in Nigeria is lacking in many respects despite the various regulatory frameworks. It was, therefore, recommended, among other things, that there should be an increased awareness for health practitioners and patients on the subject of medical ethics; there should be employed the most suitably qualified medical personnel into the healthcare system to improve the Nigerian health sector.