Mr. Lech, who suffers from diabetes, wrote to the Medonet editorial office. He shared a story from his own life – when he was very hypoglycemic, he called an ambulance. Unfortunately, the doctors did not know what was wrong with him and called the police because of “bad behavior”. We asked the lawyer in which cases paramedics could ask for an intervention from police officers.
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Dangerous hypoglycemia
Mr. Lech is disappointed with the level of care for diabetics in our country. “Poland is not a country for the sick and those in need of help. We have to fight for many things ourselves. I do not even compare this country to, for example, France, where every diabetic has a full reimbursement of drugs. We have problems even with blood glucose test strips »- the patient complains.
Mr. Lech also described a situation that happened to him, when he had to call an ambulance due to severe hypoglycemia (hypoglycemia). «With the remnants of my consciousness, I called the ambulance. The doctor did not know what was going on, so he called – WARNING – the police because of “bad behavior”. I have subjected such “help” to the patient ombudsman and the human rights ombudsman. Answer: nothing happened. The case ended in court ».
The verdict was unfavorable for Mr. Lech. “The fact that the doctor left me unconscious in my vomit meant nothing.” Several years have passed since that accident, but Mr. Lech is still living in fear: “Until today, I wonder what I should do when hypoglycemia that cannot be controlled on my own reappears”.
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When can paramedics call the police?
We asked attorney Bartłomiej Achler about when rescuers can call the police. – In accordance with the applicable regulations, the medical rescue team has the right, in strictly defined cases, to call the police to help in providing rescue operations. Such cases include, among others a situation where the patient’s behavior poses a direct threat to his own or other people’s life or health, or violently destroys and damages objects in his environment – explains the patron. – In such a situation, rescuers have the right to apply the so-called direct coercion. They can also call the police for help, which is obliged to provide such help to rescuers.
Can hypoglycemia be an indication to call the police? – Of course, it is difficult to unequivocally assess what it looked like in this particular case. Not every behavioral disturbance, which is possible in hypoglycemia, justifies such a medical emergency. Direct coercion and police intervention against the patient should always be treated as a last resort, and the decision should be made on the basis of the circumstances of a specific case and taking into account the premises indicated by the law – emphasizes the lawyer.
Explore other patient stories:
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- Letter to the editor: gynecologists suggested I was faking or asked if I was cheating on my husband
You haven’t been able to find the cause of your ailments for a long time? Do you want to tell us your story or draw attention to a common health problem? Write to the address [email protected] #Together we can do more