Patients are considered as "guests" in the hospital for most of them are not familiar with the hospital protocols. We need to make them comfortable and assist them with all their needs so that we can provide them high quality health care delivery system.

Before we can effectively do so, we "MUST" first identify their rights. Here are they:

1. The patient has the right to considerate and respectful care.
2. The patient has the right to obtain from his physician complete and current information concerning his diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis in terms the patient can be reasonably expected to understand.
3. The patient has the right to receive from his physician information necessary to give informed consent prior to the start of any procedure and/or treatment.
4. The patient has the right to refuse treatment and to be informed of the medical consequences of his action.
5. The patient has the right to every consideration of his privacy concerning his own medical care program.
6. The patient has the right to expect that all communications and records pertaining to his care should be treated as confidential.
7. The patient has the right to expect within its capacity, a hospital must make reasonable response to the request of a patient for services.
8. The patient has the right to obtain information as to any relationship his hospital has to other health care and educational institutions insofar as his care is concerned.
9. The patient has the right to be advised if the hospital proposes to engage in or perform human experimentation affecting his care or treatment.
10. The patient has the right to expect reasonable continuity of care.
11. The patient has the right to examine and receive an explanation of his bill.
12. The patient has the right to know what hospital rules and regulations apply to his conduct as a patient.

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