SUNU Health Nigeria Limited, a Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) has called for qualitative healthcare delivery at a cost-effective price.
The Managing Director, Dr Patrick Korie, made the call in Lagos on Thursday during the Providers Enrollee Forum webinar with theme: “Medical Ethics and the Delivery of Quality Care”.
Dr Korie said that the webinar was a routine meeting where the HMO, with all stakeholders, looked at where they could provide best practices for the best of all.
He said that the webinar was also to ensure delivery of qualitative healthcare at cost effective price that was quality and effective using providers.
Korie said that looking at the whole scenario of what the economy was all about now, thinking about medical ethics and how to provide care was very important.
According to him, looking at medical ethics and how it impacts one’s care, it might be very important for us to discuss ethics, not only on the side of the medical practitioner but also on the side of those who are requiring care.
The Guest Speaker, Rev Fr Udochukwu Ugorji, said that today’s patients were becoming more aware of their rights and therefore, more litigation conscious.
“The medical practitioner must be vast, not only in his medical field or specialty, but also must be alert to his duties and responsibilities in practice.
“He or she must be conversant with the laws and the ethics of the profession in order to avoid lability suits. Also, the practitioner must be aware of the need for defensive practice and the need to anticipate legal issues before they occur.
“The practitioner should also be prepared to defend himself or herself in a court of law or before a professional disciplinary tribunal. (O.J. Odia & 2015) A.R. George).
“In view of liability suits and their increasing burden, practitioners should realize the importance of liability insurance cover.” (O.J. Odia & A.R. George, 2015),” he said.
Ugorji recommended Hospital Ethics Committee, Ethics Rounds, Patients Ethics Education, Patients and Physician Bill and Grand Medical Ethics Consult to sustain policy and protocol implementation and create healthy culture in clinical settings.
