29/11/2017
RIGHTS OF A PATIENT
Right to Confidentiality
The patient's information is usually gathered
when they come into contact with any health care
provider especially when they seek health care
services in any hospital set up in Kenya. It is
almost a protocol in Kenya that when you seek
health care in any hospital even if it is a clinic,
you should first be registered at the reception
and given a number. This involve gathering of the
patient’s bio-data. It is required that the personal
information be kept confident and should be
displayed anywhere outside the hospital.
Right to Privacy
Once they are registered at the hospital
reception, the people who seek the health care
should be seen or assessed in rooms where
there is privacy so that the patient can have the
confidence of giving the necessary information
concerning their health problems. The private
rooms are also important when performing a
medical procedure such as breast examination
where a patient will require his/her privacy to be
maintained.
Right to Information
It is the responsibility of a health care provider in
Kenya to explain to patients seeking health care
the type of services offered at that facility and
the benefits of those services offered since it is
their right to be informed on such services
especially those attending Government of
Kenya hospitals.
Right to Dignity
All patients or clients attending hospitals seek
services, should be treated by health care
providers with courtesy, consideration and
attention regardless of their status.
Right to Choice
The patients, once they have been given the
necessary information on the available services
in the hospital, should be left alone to decide
freely on the type of the services they want. For
instance the patients seeking family planning
services in Kenya should be allowed to choose
the type of contraceptive they want from the
various types of contraceptives which are either
pill, implants, injectables or combined oral
contraceptives.
Right to Access
All clients who attend hospitals at any given time
to seek services should be allowed to obtain
services regardless of their s*x.
Right to Comfort
Health care providers in all hospitals in Kenya
should ensure that patients are comfortable when
they are receiving health care services. This also
applies when a procedure is performed where the
health professional should ensure that the patient
is comfortable first, before that the procedure is
performed.
Right to Continuity
The patients, who are admitted to the hospital
for further management, should have a right to
services as long as they are required because
they stay in wards for either a short or long time
depending on the conditions (disease) they have.
Right to Opinion
The clients who are attending or have visited any
hospital in Kenya have the freedom of expression
to give their views on the type of services given
to them by that particular hospital.
Right to Safety
The patients in Kenya also have the right to
access safe and efficient services in any
Government of Kenya hospital and it is the
responsibility of the care providers to ensure that
patients are given safe services and safe surgical
procedures are performed to avoid
complications.
It the responsibility of patients to report any
health care provider in Kenya who mistreats them
when seeking health services in any hospital in Kenya.
