Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ISSN No:-2456-2165
Abstract:- The practice of detaining patients especially they even die of frustration and could be termed a
in clinics, maternities and hospitals for non payment or punishment and not a relief. Refusing to settled
completion of their medical bills or to observe their hospital, maternity and clinic bills, such institutions are
health being for better medication, hike their bills, impeded for lack of funds to run them. On the other
punish them like that is a very clear omen that raises hand, detention is being carried out for the benefits of
the concern of many to see the act as purely motivated the patient’s well-being and not to punish them. The
and encouraged as a punishment or a relief . Patients paper profered some recommendations which include:
are believed to go to these medical health centers with let there be mutual trust between patients and medical
the hope that their deteriorated healthy conditions personnels. Patients should try to redeem or settle their
would be revitalized if they adhere to medical rules and medical bills so as to avoid been detained unjustly. Also,
settled their bills. This paper seeks to do justice to the they should respect any detention imposed on them for
two sides as indicated here “relief or punishment”. the sake of their well-being by health personnels. Well
Primary and secondary sources of data collections were and meaningful individuals should assist patients who
used to accessed information in building the research cannot afford to settle their medical bills so as to
work. The research also examined core reasons behind ameliorate their hardships. Medical personnels should
the practice of detention of patients in Nigerian be kind hearted to patients. They should respect their
medical health centres which include : lack of money, profession and try to treat patients with kindness, and
total refusal or non availability of resources to settle not devise means of exploiting or punishing them in the
for such bills or just to hike medical bills of patients or other way round . Also, patients should try to cooperate
just to aid in restoring the health of patients from with medical personnels so as to reap the benefits of the
deterioting. The paper also seeks to examine the root duo relationship If such are adhered by patients and
causes of patient’s detention in Nigerian hospitals, medical personnel, it will help in fostering better
clinics and maternities which is been regarded on the doctor and patient’s relationships in the medical
other way round to mean a relief or a punishment. It profession, which would be seen as a relief and not a
also examines some of the resultant consequences of punishment in its entirety.
such practice which has some benefits on both patients
and medical personnels. The work also discovered Keywords:- Medical, Detention, Patients,
that, if there is a better working relationship among Relief and Punishment.
patients and medical personnels, it will go along way in
resolving the crises occurring between the duo, and It I. INTRODUCTION
will help to promote better human health management.
It is the hope of this paper to strike a moral balance All human societies have belief system that people
on the term “ punishment” as it is be been caused by turn to in order to identify disease and effect a
both patients and medical personnels, which is been cure(Lehmann and Meyers,2001:150). Good wellbeing is
considered un- healthy when carried out negatively on what every body desire to have at all cost. Every body tries
patients. The term “punishment” is either caused by to see a doctor when ever he or she is sick.The doctor is the
patients themselves or by medical personnels, who out intermediary between the sick and the ultimate healer(God).
of sheer inhuman feelings carried it. Hence, it is not There are various health centers such as hospitals,
right for patients not to be detained if their health maternities and clinics which are springing up daily in
conditions require that, or when they failed to settled Nigeria as a result of high demand for physical well being
their bills . If patients are detained just to hike their by patients. Patients sought for medical attention from
bills or to frustrate them by medical personnels is a hospitals, clinics and maternities in order for them to be
total punishment. Medical personnels should ensure sound and hearty to go about their normal activities.
that patients are well treated and not detained without However, prior to the coming of Christian missionaries to
any moral ground, which will worsen their health Nigeria, there have been in existence herbalists, who treat
condition rather than ameliorate it. If patients are patients of various illnesses and charged them some money,
detained on no good ground, it facilitates in animal or food stuff in compensation for services rendered.
deteriorating their health conditions and sometimes