Duties and obligations of doctors are enlisted in the laws of the land and different Codes of Medical Ethics and Declaration. Some of them are:-
Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002
Hippocratic Oath
Declaration of Geneva
Declaration of Helsinki
International Code of Medical Ethics
Govt. of India Guidelines for Sterilization
Based on these guidelines the duties of a doctor are enlisted below-
Duties to Patient-
standard care
providing information to the patient
consent for treatment
emergency care
Standard care: Such care means a degree of care which an average person takes while doing similar job in a similar situation
Providing information to patient: Such information should be provided regarding necessity of treatment, alternative modalities of treatment, and risks of pursuing the treatment, inherent complication of drugs, duration of treatment, prognosis and expenses.
Emergency care: It is the duty of a doctor to attend any emergency case on humanitarian grounds.
Duties to the Public-
health education on public health issues
medical help on occurrence of natural calamities
medical help during train accidents
notification of births, deaths, infectious diseases, food poisoning etc
help victims of house collapse, fire and accidents etc
