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| The rights of patients |
| June 22nd, 2006 |
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| Note: You can discuss this article at the bottom of the article |
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The Patients Charter was developed from recommendations by the Consumer Council of
Zimbabwe (CCZ) and the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare to offer protection to consumers and improve health service delivery. The Charter therefore spells out general consumer rights to access and treatment.
Patients Rights can be described as social and
individual rights. Social rights cover aspects such as the quality and accessibility of health care, while individual rights relate to basic human and consumer rights.
1. GENERAL RIGHTS TO ACCESS AND TREATMENT
Patients have a right to access the Health System at the time of need, both as non paying and paying patients. In the event that a patient has contact with the Health Service, it is important for them to remember that the Health Service is there to respond to their needs. Below are some of the rights, patients need to understand.
1.1 Hospitality (Health Care)
A patient has the right to be accorded courtesy and to be treated with respect in a safe and clean
environment
1.2 Confidentiality
Save for the requirements of the law, all information concerning a patient’s illness or personal circumstances will be kept in confidence and used only for the purposes of their treatment. A patient has the right to details of his/her treatment and diagnosis.
1.3 Privacy
A Patient has the right to privacy during
consultation, examination and treatment. A patient shall therefore be interviewed and treated in surroundings designed to ensure privacy and shall have the right to be accompanied during any
physical examination or treatment if they so wish.
1.4 Discrimination (Human Treatment)
A patient has the right to be received and attended to without regard to sex, age religion, colour, creed, tribe, race and socio-economic status. This also means that optimal health care must be provided to all citizens at the right cost.
1.5 Choice
A Patient must exercise their right to choose health workers who provide them with treatment or advice, the place and type of treatment that is provided. After being informed of the possible options, patients have the right to refuse or halt any medical interventions. Patients are also allowed to seek a second opinion at any given time while consulting the same medical or health care delivery system.
1.6 Redress of Grievances
Patients shall have access to appropriate grievance handling procedures. They have the right to claim damages of injury or illness incurred or aggravated as a result of the failure of the health professional to exercise the duty and standard of care required of him or her while treating them. Patients shall have the right to legal advice as regards any malpractice by health care professionals.
2 SERVICES
2.1 Admission and Stay in Hospital
In the event of an accident or emergency, you will
be attended to by a Health Worker immediately
upon arrival, assessed and dealt with appropriately.
Whether you are admitted as an emergency or not, hospital staff shall inform your relatives or next of kin or whoever you wish, were practicable.
Keep your kit and valuables in a safe and clean
place.
Give you clear information about your illness and
condition and the treatment plan for your recovery.
2.2 Consent
In some cases, treatment might necessitate the
need for operative procedures. This is an unnerving experience for most patients.
In the event that surgery is anticipated in your
treatment plan, you have the right to be consulted and to be informed about the nature of the operation. Where risks are known, you will be
informed.
If you are 18 years of age and above, you have the right to give your consent to surgery recommended by health workers.
If you are 17 years of age and below, your parent or guardian will give this consent. However, where
you are incapacitated and therefore unable to give your consent, health workers have a moral and ethical duty to do everything possible to save your life first.
You have a right to give your consent to any research which teaching staff wish to carry out on/with you. |
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| Discuss this article |
| Contributed by Nomy on July 5th, 2010 |
| Can you make the document more widely available for the benefit of the patients. There are very few copies of the document in circulation and they are only in health centers where the patients do not even have access to them |
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| Contributed by Tapiwa on February 7th, 2007 |
| So what can you say should be domne about the current Doctor\'s strike? How are you protecting us as consumers? |
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| Contributed by Anesu on June 25th, 2006 |
| Kana mapatients acho apinda muhospital memumwe munhu haachisisina marights. They leave them padoor repachipatarapacho! |
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