The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), say they would formulate an acceptable guide to regulate interaction between patients and medical doctors in the country.
CPC’s Director-General, Mr Babatunde Irukera said this when the President of NMA, Prof. Mike Ogirima led members of  his executive team on a visit to the council in Abuja.
In a statement issued by the Head of Public Relations of the council, Mr Abiodun Obimuyiwa on Sunday in Abuja, Irukera said that the proposed Guide would be known as Patients’ Bill of Rights.
According to him, it will identify rights and privileges in a patient-care giver relationship for the protection of consumers.
He said a standing committee, with members drawn from the NMA and the CPC, had been set up to immediately advance the finalisation of the document.
“The committee will also expand key areas of collaboration for the promotion of high standards of care and patients’ protection.”
Irukera also said, it was imperative that the two organisations collaborate and jointly disseminate such rights to consumers to promote higher and safer healthcare standards.
“We need to ensure people know their rights to information and proper explanation of their medical situation in a language they understand.
“People need to know their right to control decision-making with respect to their treatment regimen; the right to know when to, where to and how to secure a second opinion if desired.
“The introduction of the Bill of Rights in Nigeria is long overdue and nothing improves standards more than consumers demanding it and asking questions,” he said.
The CPC boss and the NMA president underscored the urgency of the need for the Guide and had set end of June as deadline for a final draft of the Bill of Rights.
They both also agreed that a short form of the Bill of Rights should be displayed at all public and private healthcare facilities in the country.
Irukera reiterated the need for the NMA to ensure absolute precision in their dealings.
“Your industry does not permit any error; the legal industry to which I belong, provides successful appeals as many other industries also have built-in redundancies.
“This is not the case in medicine which, although investigative, requires absolute precision.
“It is tragic that doctors can go on strike and I recognise the fundamentals that are subjects of some of the strikes.
“However, I have never been able to reconcile the potential and irreversible loss that can and does happen when these strikes occur; we must not trivialise life.
“I think the rightful partner in reinforcing that message of sanctity of life is the Nigerian Medical Association because for many, saving lives is a motto, but in medicine, it is an obligation.”