The treatment of patients requires lots of care and skill. The failure of a medical practitioner to exercise such reasonable degree of care and skill in the treatment of a patient would amount to medical negligence. There have been instances where surgeons after conducting operation on a patient would fail to remove unwanted or foreign particles or objects, even consumables or medical devices like cotton wool or surgical scissors, from the body of the patient, thereby causing the patient health complications and some cases result in fatality. It is therefore in this light that it is important to review and understand the duty of care owed by medical practitioners to their patients, and the attendant risks and liabilities when this duty is breached.

Richmond Ekhosuehi Idaeho is a private researcher and legal practitioner in Nigeria with a special interest medical/health law. Richmond’s interest in health law spurs from his background as a philosopher, particularly from his study of Ethics and Philosophy of Science, having obtained his first degree in Philosophy, before bagging a second undergraduate degree in law and a Master of Laws degree subsequently. He has conducted several research on medical ethics and reproductive health culminating in several publications to his credit on jurisprudence (also feminist jurisprudence), legal philosophy, bioethics, public health, reproductive justice, public, health, and medical law, amongst others. His works are well cited and available both in print and online media. He has been a guest at different health fora providing insights on medical and health law.