Regulating the Medical Profession in Nigeria: The Medical and Dental Practitioners Council in Perspective

Abstract

The medical personnel are bound by the provisions of law guiding the operations and practice of the Medical profession in Nigeria to ensure strict adherence to the medical code of conduct. Using the legal approach, this paper interrogates the institutional mechanism for enforcing these regulations by studying the Medical and Dental Practitioner Council of Nigeria's activities. It also explores the Medical Doctor's patient’s relationship to ascertain the extent to which the regulatory body has sanctioned erring doctors who violated the code of conduct/ethics of the medical profession in Nigeria. The article argues that the absence of a regulatory framework breeds indiscipline. It concludes that the Medical and Dental Practitioner Council of Nigeria should rise to their responsibility to restore confidence in a would-be patient that may likely seek medical advice or solution to their problems.