By Ayomide Otitoju
Legal expert Dayo Adu has called for continuous medical-legal education for doctors to enhance their understanding of professional responsibilities and patients’ rights.
Adu highlighted a gap in medical-legal training within doctors’ ongoing professional development and stressed the need for cultural and legal sensitisation in the medical field.
“There is a gap when it comes to medical-legal training, even within continuous medical education. Collaboration with lawyers or legal bodies could help doctors better understand their duties,” Adu said.
On patients’ rights, he emphasized the importance of public awareness, noting that patients must be informed about the standard of care they are entitled to and empowered to demand accountability. “Patients need to understand their rights. The standard of care they deserve is their right and must be strictly adhered to,” he said.
Adu also urged the medical profession to engage in self-reflection, acknowledging systemic challenges such as inadequate funding, staffing shortages, and the ongoing “japa” syndrome, where specialists leave the country for better opportunities abroad. He observed, however, that some Nigerian specialists are beginning to return to establish specialised practices, though he stressed that more efforts are needed to ensure hospitals meet regulatory standards.
His comments follow the death of 21-month-old son of Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at Euracare Hospital on January 7, which was allegedly linked to negligence by the attending anaesthesiologist. Adichie has since issued a legal notice against the hospital, citing medical negligence and professional impropriety.
