Internal rules

PATIENT’S RIGHTS WHEN USING THE SERVICES OF THE MEDICAL CENTRE:

Right to medical care. The patient has a guaranteed right to medical care, to dignified treatment, to discreetness and respect for privacy when providing medical services in accordance with the kind of medical services provided.

Right to informed consent. Any healthcare intervention may only be performed if the patient provides a free and informed consent thereto. The following are statutory exceptions when a patient may be provided with care without their consent: if a patient is placed under a compulsory treatment order; if a patient is a carrier of a serious transmissible disease; if a patient shows signs of a mental disease or intoxication and at the same time endangers themselves or their surroundings; if informed consent may not be requested due to the patient’s state of health and the medical intervention is necessary to save their life or health.

Right to refuse a healthcare intervention. The patient has a right, after they have been thoroughly informed about the healthcare intervention needed and about any contingent consequences of non-providing the same to their health, to refuse the offered care if they wish so. In such case, the attending doctor may request a written declaration (written undertaking) of their refusal to undergo a healthcare intervention signed by the patient.

Right to information. The patient has a right to know any and all information concerning their state of health kept in their medical file or in other records related to their state of health. If information provided to them orally by the medical staff is not sufficient for them, the patient has a right to access and study their medical file and to make extracts, transcripts or copies of the same, within 30 days of filing such request with the medical centre.

Right not to be informed. The patient has a right to be informed about any intervention suggested. At the same time, nevertheless, the patient has a right not to be informed: they may waive their right to such information completely or authorize another person to receive such information (their next of kin or any person at their own choice). Where informing the patient is in the patient’s interest or needed to protect other people (e.g. in case of an infectious disease), the patient will be informed by the medical staff in spite of the fact that they refuse to be informed on their state of health.

Right to the protection of privacy. The patient has a right to the protection of privacy in relation to information about their health. Only the patient may decide whether they wish that the information on their state of health be provided to other persons. The physician or other healthcare professionals may only provide data on the patient’s state of health without the patient’s consent under strict statutory terms and to persons precisely defined by the law.

Right to determine persons and scope of information provided. The patient may appoint (a) person(s) who may be informed about the patient's state of health, as well as determine the scope of information that may be provided to such person(s). The patient may also impose a total ban on provisioning information about their state of health to any person. The appointment of individual persons or expression of the ban on provisioning of information may be changed or cancelled by the patient at any time.

Right to a free choice of a physician. The patient has a right to a free choice of a physician and a right to a choice of a medical centre (MC). A MC may refuse to accept a patient into their care if by their acceptance it would exceed the acceptable workload, which might result in decreasing the quality and safety of care, and if the patient is not insured by any of its contractual health insurance companies. The MC must provide care in any acute case where there is an imminent immediate danger of any harm to health or life of the patient. Another exception from this right is provisioning of occupational medical services where an employee is obliged to undergo an occupational medical examination at their employer’s contractual provider of occupational medical services.

Right to presence of a next of kin. The patient has a right to the presence of their next of kin or a person appointed by them, in compliance with applicable legislation and with the internal rules, and provided that the presence of such persons does not disturb the provisioning of medical services.

Right of next of kin to information about the patient’s state of health. If a patient is in a state in which they cannot appoint persons who may be informed about their state of health, only the patient’s next of kin have the right to updated information about their state of health (a next of kin is a lineal ascendant or descendant, a sibling and a spouse or partner; other persons in a family or similar relationship are considered to be closely related if harm suffered by one of them would rightfully be felt by the other person as their own harm).

Right of survivors to information. The next of kin who survive the patient who has deceased have a right to information about the patient’s state of health, unless the patient stated otherwise when (s)he was still alive, imposing a ban on provisioning such information to any or all of their next of kin. These persons are also entitled, in the presence of a medical professional, to study the patient’s medical file or other records related to the patient’s state of health, as well as to make extracts, transcripts or copies of such documents. The aforementioned rights also apply to any other persons determined by the patient when (s)he was still alive.

Right to information about the price of medical services provided. The patient has a right to be informed in advance of the price of medical services provided that are unpaid or partially paid from the public health insurance and on the method of payment of the same.

Obligations of patients when using services of the medical centre:

Obligation to observe the internal rules of the medical centre (hereinafter the MC). If the patient repeatedly breaches the internal rules, the MC may terminate provisioning of medical services to the patient.

Obligation to prove their identity. When entering the MC, the patient is to produce their identity card or other proof of identity and to report without delay any changes in their data of relevance, including, but not limited to, a change of their medical insurance company, residential address or telephone number. If the patient fails to prove their identity and does not need urgent care, the MC may refuse to provide the medical service to them.

Obligation to observe the recommended individual treatment procedure, if the patient has expressed their consent to the provisioning of medical services.

Obligation to pay for the services in accordance with the current price list of MC. The patient is to pay to MC the price of the medical services that are not paid or are partially paid from the public medical insurance, which have been provided to them with their prior consent.

Obligation to inform the MC staff about their state of health. The patient is to inform the attending staff truthfully and thoroughly about the previous development of his state of health, including information about any infectious diseases, medical services provided to them by other providers, use of medicaments, including abuse of addictive substances, and other facts relevant for the provisioning of medical services.

Obligation to refrain from using alcohol or other addictive substances prior to and during a medical examination, to attend the MC in a tidy manner and clean clothes, to treat the staff and other patients decently and with respect.

Obligation not to bring any weapons into the MC. This does not apply to members of armed forces when performing their service duties.

Obligation to observe the date and time of appointment. If the patient is late for their appointment, it may be re-booked for another date so as not to interfere with the times of subsequent appointments of other patients. If the patient repeatedly fails to appear for their appointment without a serious reason, they may be asked to pay a deposit before booking another appointment.