MEDICAL LAW Medical law means the area of law relating to the legal rights and obligations of the medical care providers as well as receivers, i.e. patients. The torts aspect of medical law is concerned with the duties of medical care providers towards their patients. A reasonable standard of care is expected of medical professionals. Legal consequences follow if the same is not observed. This aspect of medical law confers rights on patients to act against deficiencies or mistakes in medical treatment and care. The criminal law aspect relates primarily to the consent of the patient. An act of the medical care provider may, in certain situations, be considered criminal if it is done without the consent of the patient.

Medical law means the area of law relating to the legal rights and obligations of the medical care providers as well as receivers, i.e. patients. It also includes the rules governing the relationship between the two. It is a fairy recent legal discipline. The term ‘medical law’ is often confused with ‘medical jurisprudence’. The latter, however, is a branch of medicine and not of law like the former. The ambit of this branch of law is very vast. It can be divided into three main categories: the law relating to negligence and other torts, the criminal law and the law relating to confidentiality.

The torts aspect of medical law is concerned with the duties of medical care providers towards their patients. A reasonable standard of care is expected of medical professionals. Legal consequences follow if the same is not observed. This aspect of medical law confers rights on patients to act against deficiencies or mistakes in medical treatment and care. The criminal law aspect relates primarily to the consent of the patient. An act of the medical care provider may, in certain situations, be considered criminal if it is done without the consent of the patient.

Such situations are enunciated under medical law.  The confidentiality aspect of medical law involves the  maintenance and regulation of records of patients  medical details  The persons who are required to manage these records those who can access them.  the extent to which the access can be made  the persons to whom and the extent to which mation accessed can be divulged are all matters which verned by this aspect of medical law.

Consent of the patient plays a role here too. Without the patient’s consent, the information regarding his treatment cannot be disclosed to anyone. Medical law is a significant area of law today with the ever increasing resort to medical facilities by a large number of people. With the incessant scientific and technological advances affecting the medical field as well, the legal discipline of medical law needs to constantly progress in order to ensure that the interests of all those involved are secured.

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