Małgorzata Sokołowska | In Principle

According to Polish and EU law, performance of certain services requires civil liability insurance. Such an obligation is imposed on entities performing healthcare activities, for which Polish law has specified the minimum amount of coverage. Can such coverage be exhausted by a medical loss?

What rights do patients—including patients from Ukraine—have in Poland? What should healthcare facilities do when receiving patients from Ukraine? What about filling their prescriptions? And how are the charges for their healthcare services settled?

The proposed changes in healthcare in Poland would not only impose new obligations of healthcare providers, but also seek to raise the quality and safety of medical services. Periodic external audits and mandatory reporting of adverse events are to be introduced. This represents an organisational change, but also a cultural one. Every hospital employee would have to be aware of their responsibility towards patients, and all processes would be designed to focus on the patient. The idea of a patient-centred system has been discussed in Poland many times, but not even a uniform definition or principles for such an approach have been adopted to date. It is worth taking a look at how others are doing it.

The law in Poland is quite precise about who can be given information about a family member’s health, and in what situations. But when contacted by a family member by phone, how can the healthcare provider verify the caller’s identity? And can a hospital in principle refuse to provide information by phone?

Convenient access to full medical records is an important goal, but it cannot be pursued contrary to the GDPR and the Constitution. Liability for use of beneficiary’s data for non-medical purposes should also be regulated.