PATIENT’S RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Patients have the right to the following:
- Considerate and respectful care
- Be treated with dignity and respect
- Obtain complete and current information concerning his/her diagnosis, treatment and prognosis in terms that patients can reasonably understand.
- Obtain copies of their medical reports by applying through the appropriate channels
- Seek second opinion about their disease or treatment from another Practitioner
- Necessary information to give informed consent prior to the start of any procedure.
- Refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law, and to be informed of the medical consequences of his/her actions according to the law.
- Privacy. The health worker has a duty to sensitise the patient when others are involved. e.g trainees
- Expect that all communications concerning him/her shall be treated confidentially.
- Expect that within its capacity, a hospital must make reasonable response to the request of the patient.
- Reasonable continuity of care.
- Has the right to receive an explanation on his/her bill regardless of who is paying
- Know what hospital rules and regulations apply to his/her conduct as a patient.
- Be informed about what to do in the event of an emergency
- Freedom of choice except in the case of emergency care
- Obtain any information as to the relationship of his/her hospital to other health care and educational institutions as far as his/her health is concerned.
- Know if the hospital proposes to engage in or perform human experimentation affecting his/her treatment.
- Withdraw their consent and terminate care at any point or get this done on their behalf by the recognized legal guardian or next of kin
Patients have the following responsibilities:
- To treat all hospital staff with respect and dignity
- To faithfully undergo the AGREED treatment
- To follow the health worker's instructions diligently
- To take necessary preventive measures in case of infectious disease according to doctor's instructions
- To be aware that health workers would endeavour to always act in their best interests. However, being human beings, are susceptible to occasional mistakes and lapses
- To be aware that ALL procedures and treatment modalities carry varying levels of risk for which health workers are not liable
- To make payment for the treatment, wherever applicable, to the hospital promptly
- To respect the competence of the health workers to make professional decisions on patients' care
- To be punctual at clinics/hospitals for treatment at the given time
- To preserve all the records of their illness
- To keep the Hospital Management informed if change of doctors/hospital is desirable/desired.
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