Abstract
This Paper examined Rule of law, and abuse of Doctors’ Rights in Nigeria. Rule of law is a principle of governance in which all persons, institutions and entities, public and private, including the State itself, are accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated, and which are consistent with international human rights norms and standards. It requires measures to ensure adherence to the principles of supremacy of the law, equality before the law, accountability to the law, fairness in the application of the law, separation of powers, participation in decision-making, legal certainty, avoidance of arbitrariness, and procedural and legal transparency. Health professionals such as nurses, doctors, surgeons, pediatricians, pharmacists, radiologists, ophthalmologists and a host of others are committed to promoting health and human dignity and reducing suffering; they are guided by fundamental medical ethics to work for the benefit of their patients and the public. As humans, doctors are generally entitled to fundamental human rights, to wit; right to life, right to human dignity, right to freedom of speech, right to freedom of association, etc. However, it has been observed that more often than none, doctors have been denied of these natural rights, and are most times subjected to verbal, and physical abuses, torture and, all manners of ill-treatment. Against this backdrop, doctors must be properly informed of their rights and the need to protect same against infringement. The paper adopted the doctrinal research methodology. It relied on both primary and secondary sources of gathering information.
Prof. Samuel C. Dike, Princewill C. Amadi & E. A. Essang
pp. 153 – 163
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