FCCPC urges domestication of Patent’s Bill of Rights

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has called on health facilities across the country to domesticate the Patient’s Bill of Rights (PBOR).

The Executive Vice Chairman of FCCPC, Babatunde Irukera, made the call yesterday while unveiling the PBOR at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, Abuja.

The PBOR is a federal government policy launched in 2018 to protect the rights of healthcare consumers, improve the quality of healthcare service delivery, as well as create patient-centered care.

Irukera said the domestication of PBOR was vital to protecting the rights of patients in the country and making health workers and facilities accountable.

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He said while the issue of hospitals demanding police report before treating victims of gunshot injuries was still a problem, the trend had reduced since 2018 because of the advocacy and accountability system.

The Medical Director of the FMC, Prof Saad Ahmed, said the PBOR aligned with the mission and vision of the hospital.

Dr Nkechi Mba, Coordinator PBOR at FCCPC, said some of the rights included the right to relevant information in a language and manner the patients understood, including diagnosis, treatment, other procedures and possible outcomes; and the right to receive urgent, immediate and sufficient intervention and care in the event of an emergency.

She listed others as right of timely access to detailed and accurate medical records and available services; right to privacy and confidentiality of medical records; and the right to be treated with respect regardless of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, allegations of crime, disability or economic circumstances.

Omoluabi Folami Onirinwa of Ace Associates and Consultant to the National Programme of Action for Strengthening of PBOR, said the crux of healthcare was the satisfaction that a patient derived.