The malpractice feud
Obayuwana, A.O.
Journal of the National Medical Association 73(4): 363-370
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0027-9684 PMID: 7218368 Document Number: 171203
The propriety of an immediate resolution of the malpractice feud rests on the strong thesis that law and medicine cannot be mutually exclusive if both shall continue to remain true to their traditional pledges. The common need to serve, primarily, the human being and, secondarily, the client or patient is a sufficient basis for much compromise. It should always be remembered that if there were no life there would be no rights to defend; nor would life be worth its very name, if legal rights were nil.This paper assesses some of the basic differences between law and medicine, identifies the historical and recent events that precipitated the current malpractice feud, and offers some ameliorative measures for resolving the uneasy state.