Must we remain blind to the need for clinical ethics support services in Africa? Eyes on Nigeria.

Hospitals and healthcare workers in Africa, and Nigeria specifically, are increasingly being confronted by complex situations, in which decision-making becomes more troublesome in the presence of conflicting goals, values, and preferences among the respective stakeholders. Given that all healthcare decision-making requires ethical considerations, and there is a noted absence or paucity of documentation of institutionalized mechanisms for addressing any associated concern or dilemma in Nigeria, it is thus unclear how most hospitals, healthcare workers, and the public handle the ethical dimensions of patients' care and hospital practice, while also generating possibilities for improvement in care quality. This paper is an attempt to heighten awareness of the need for clinical ethics support services (CESS) in Nigeria and encourage thought, reflection and dialogue over the issues raised.