Legal Medicine and its holistic evolution in medical practice: An update

Abstract

The medical profession is one of the honourable professions in the world. The practice of medicine can render noble facility to humankind provided due care, honesty, efficiency, and professional skill is observed by the medical professional. Acquaintance of medicolegal issues, laws related to the medical practice and medical ethics, which were not taken seriously earlier by the health professionals, has made them more susceptible to litigations. Apart from clinical cases, every medical professional will encounter certain 'Medico-legal' problems at one time or the other during his or her practice. The general myth is that only government hospital doctors would be involved with such type of medicolegal cases has now been dissipated by the recent judgements of the Hon'ble courts, predominantly by the Supreme Court of India. Purpose of this article deliberates some of the common practical medicolegal issues involved in these cases.