In 2017, 61 cases, signals and inquiries were submitted to the Patient Ombudsman, according to the Ombudsman’s report for the previous year. The patient’s right to health services and the right to medical documentation are the worst.
- Last year, over 61 complaints and signals were submitted to the Patients’ Ombudsman
- Thanks to them, in 443 cases, a violation of the rights of patients was found – according to the latest report of the Ombudsman for Patients
- The rights to health services and to medical records are violated most often, i.e. in practice to read the medical history or the original results of medical examinations
The Ombudsman’s office informed that the Council of Ministers had adopted his report on the observance of patients’ rights in the territory of the Republic of Poland from January 1 to December 31, 2017.
Last year, the spokesman ran 1383 explanatory proceedings relating to individual patient cases, including 308 on their own initiative, incl. thanks to information obtained from the mass media. In 443 cases, the Human Rights Defender found that patients’ rights were violated. He also instituted 81 proceedings in cases of practices violating collective patient rights, out of which he issued decisions on violation of the law in 31 cases.
The Office announced that the Patient Ombudsman had used the opportunity to participate with the prosecutor’s rights in pending civil proceedings regarding infringement of patient rights. He was involved in six cases, of which he joined the pending proceedings in four and brought an action himself in two.
In the opinion of the Defender – taking into account the previous year – it can be assessed that the observance of patients’ rights is not satisfactory. The patient’s right to health services and the right to medical documentation are the worst. The Defender also points out that there are also rights that have not been violated or their violations have been sporadic, e.g. the patient’s right to report adverse effects of medicinal products, pastoral care and to keep valuables in a deposit.
Patient’s rights are part of the implementation of the constitutional right to health protection, and their aim is to provide the patient with maximum safety and comfort in the treatment process. Everyone is entitled to them, regardless of whether the treatment is provided with public funds or in a commercial system.
You can read the entire report on the MPC website.