Guide to Medical Labor Laws

We can see that today, a lot of outpatient clinics and hospitals are being put up. This stems from the fact that people need their specialties today since the world is becoming a health battleground due to the various illnesses that have been breaking out today.

The need for these stationed medical facilities today is a large demand. Practically anywhere, people are in need of medical assistance of varying degrees. While many perceive them mainly as honey trees for racking in profits, you would be surprised at how long the returns on investments would take for the financers of such institutions today.

You already heard about the parable of “The Good Samaritan,” which can be found in Luke 10:29-37 of the New Testament, but have you heard about the Good Samaritan Law?

According to WikiPedia, the Good Samaritan Law is “an act protecting from blame those who choose to aid others who are ill and injured. They are intended to reduce bystanders’ hesitation to assist, for fear of being sued or prosecuted for unintentional injury or wrongful death.”

This law, I believe, can be very helpful, particularly in times of emergency when there are no doctors or medical practitioners around to attend to the patients’ medical needs. However, anyone who offers to help must have the appropriate knowledge, skills and confidence to handle the task and should not be held responsible if in case the patients’ condition worsened.

With a background in basic medical and first aid applications, I am glad that the Good Samaritan Law was created. The act actually serves as a shield against public judgments and legal charges in favor of concerned citizens whose personal aim is to do a good deed for the good of others.

Are you a good Samaritan? Read more about the Good Samaritan Law.

In the US there is a law called the The Patient Self-Determination Act (PSDA) in which health care institutions like hospitals are required to ask all admitted patients whether they have an advanced directive and to inform them of their right to refuse treatment. An advance directive is a patient’s signed statement regarding what will be done to his health or body in case he can longer decide for himself as in cases of unconsciousness or an impending death. The patient is informed also of his right to refuse any treatment such as medications or any diagnostic procedure at any given time. It is the duty of responsibility of health care providers to explain all planned medication and treatment to the patient.

Image Source: www.centegra.org

As a patient, we gave our full trust to our health care providers. We trust them that they would protect us to their best and cure our illness. Despite giving our full trust to our health care providers, we should also have an idea of what our rights are as a patient. It is important for us to know our rights as patients as these rights would protect us.

To be educated about our patient rights, I suggest that we all read this website that states all our rights as patients. The federal laws guarantee us with outmost protection. In fact they are many other laws protecting us, patients.

Image source: www.nwh.org