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In 2001 the NGO Patients’ Rights Movement (KIDDA) produced “the Charter on the Rights of Patients”. This charter aimed at filling a big gap in the effort to promote and protect the rights of patient-citizens.
The Charter was compiled by a working group of distinguished citizens who had experience and had an in depth knowledge of human rights and social problems and who were sensitive to the rights of patients. The main objectives of this Charter were: a) to make the citizens, the state, the doctors and in general all those offering health services more sensitive to the rights of the patients and; b)to safeguard by legislation the rights contained in the Charter and to set up a mechanism to monitor respect for these rights.
The Charter is a code of conduct for the state and all those who are involved one way or another in providing health services to a patient.
The Law on the Protection of the Rights of Patients and Related Issues eventually passed on 7 January 2005. This Act came into force on 7 April 2005.
The Act among others safeguards (a) the good quality and continuous care of health; (b) the choice of doctors and institutions; (c) treatment that does not violate the integrity of the person.
IIt also provides for mechanisms monitoring the protection and respect of patient rights. These mechanisms include (a) the establishment in every state hospital of an independent official who would be in charge of receiving complaints by patients and their families and of providing advice to patients concerning their rights; and (b) the establishment of a Patients’ Complaint Committee which will look at patients’ complaints after a referral by the official for the protection of patient rights. The Patients Complaint Committee will also deal with complaints on appellate level.
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