Patients’ rights resulting from the direct application of the provisions of the Constitution

Everyone has the right to health protection.
Every citizen has the right to equal access to healthcare services financed from public funds, under the conditions and to the extent specified in the Act.

Patient rights in a healthcare institution, as provided for in the Act on Healthcare Institutions of 1991

A patient reporting to a healthcare institution has the right to immediate healthcare services due to the threat to his life or health, regardless of the circumstances.
A patient in a healthcare institution has the right to:
providing him with health services by persons authorized to provide them, in rooms and with the use of devices meeting specific professional and sanitary requirements
information about your health
expressing consent or refusal to provide him / her with specific health services, after obtaining relevant information
intimacy and respect for dignity while providing health services
providing him with medical documentation or indicating another person to whom this documentation may be made available
ensuring the protection of data contained in medical records relating to his person
access to information on patient rights

and in addition, in a health care facility intended for people requiring 24-hour or all-day health services, e.g. in a hospital, sanatorium, care and treatment facility, a patient admitted to this facility has the right to:
Provide him with:
a) room and board appropriate to the state of health
b) pastoral care
additional nursing care provided by a close person or another person designated by them
indication of the person or institution which the health care institution is obliged to notify about the deterioration of the health condition of the patient causing a threat to life or in the event of his death
the patient has the right to experience health services in the ambulance service in the event of an accident, injury, childbirth, sudden illness or sudden deterioration of health causing a threat to life

Patient rights under the Medical Profession Act 1996

The patient has the right to:

providing him with health services by a doctor, in accordance with the indications of current medical knowledge, methods and measures available to the doctor for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, in accordance with the principles of professional ethics and with due diligence
obtain from a doctor accessible information about your health condition, diagnosis, proposed and possible diagnostic and treatment methods, foreseeable consequences of their use or omission, treatment results and prognosis
request the doctor to provide information about his or her health condition and prognosis if he or she believes that the physician restricts the information for his or her best interests
decide who the doctor can give information to
consenting to or refusing to undergo a surgical procedure or applying to him a method of treatment or diagnostics posing an increased risk; in order for the patient to make a decision, the physician must provide the patient with information
obtain information from a doctor if, during the procedure or the use of a specific method of treatment or diagnostics, in connection with the occurrence of circumstances posing a threat to the patient’s life or health, the doctor made changes in their scope
the doctor respects his intimacy and personal dignity
apply to a physician for an opinion of an appropriate specialist physician or to organize a medical consultation
Patient rights under the Nursing and Midwife Act 1996

The patient has the right to
providing him with health services by a nurse, midwife, licensed to practice, in accordance with the current medical knowledge, methods and means available to him, in accordance with the principles of professional ethics and with special care
assisting him by a nurse, midwife, in accordance with her qualifications, in any case of danger of losing his life or serious damage to his health
obtain information about his rights from the nurse and midwife
obtain from the nurse, midwife, information about your health condition in the scope related to the nurse, midwife, nursing care
keep confidential information related to it and obtained by a nurse, midwife in connection with the performance of the profession.

Patient rights under the Mental Health Act 1994

A patient with a mental disorder, mentally ill or mentally retarded has the right to:
free health services provided to him by public psychiatric healthcare institutions
free medicines and sanitary articles as well as rooms and meals, if he / she stays in a psychiatric hospital which is a public health care institution
providing him / her with the type of treatment methods appropriate not only for health purposes, but also due to his interests and other personal interests, and striving to improve his health in a way that is least burdensome for the patient
unlimited communication with family and other people when staying in a psychiatric hospital
applying for periodic stay outside the hospital without discharging him from the institution
warn him about the intention to use direct coercion against him; the admission of this measure to a patient must be stipulated in the Act
consent to or refusal to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital, except where the provisions of the Act allow admission to a psychiatric hospital without the consent of the patient
informing and explaining to him by a doctor the reasons for admission to a psychiatric hospital in a situation where he did not consent to it, and obtaining information about his rights in this situation
withdrawal of prior consent to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital
necessary medical activities aimed at removing the reason for admitting him to the hospital without his consent and familiarizing him with the planned treatment procedures
stay in the hospital in the situation referred to in point above, with his consent later, if, in the doctor’s opinion, his further stay in this hospital is intentional
discharge from a psychiatric hospital, if he / she remains there without giving his consent, if the reasons for his / her admission and stay in a psychiatric hospital have ceased to exist without such consent
submitting, in any form, an application for an order to be released from a psychiatric hospital
apply to the guardianship court for ordering discharge from a psychiatric hospital, after refusal to discharge from the hospital upon the request referred to above
information on the date and method of submitting the application to the guardianship court
submit an application for the appointment of a probation officer, if, while in a psychiatric hospital, he needs help to conduct all his affairs or cases of a specific type

and has the right to ensure that persons performing activities under the Act keep secret everything that concerns them and which they have learned about while performing activities resulting from the Act.

Patient rights under the Cell, Tissue and Organ Collection and Transplantation Act 1995

The patient has the right to:
expressing and withdrawing at any time the objection to the collection of cells, tissues and organs after his death
voluntary consent to the doctor to collect cells, tissues or organs from him during his lifetime for transplantation to a specific recipient, if he has full legal capacity
protect the personal data of the donor / transplant recipient and keep them confidential
The recipient patient has the right to be placed on the waiting list for cell, tissue and organ transplantation and be selected as a recipient based on medical criteria.
PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES

The patient is obliged to
respect other patients and hospital staff
compliance with medical and nursing recommendations related to the treatment process
comply with the hospital regulations, and in particular comply with the provisions on safety and hygiene (e.g. smoking only in a designated place, observing curfew, etc.)
observe complete abstinence on the premises of the hospital
respect hospital property

Legal basis:
provisions of the Polish Constitution of April 2, 1997 (Journal of Laws No. 78, item 483)
Act of August 30, 1991 on health care facilities (Journal of Laws No. 91, item 408, as amended)
Act of August 19, 1994 on mental health protection (Journal of Laws No. 111, item 535, as amended)
Act of October 26, 1995 on the collection and transplantation of cells, tissues and organs (Journal of Laws No. 138, item 682)
Act of 5 July 1996 on the professions of nurse and midwife (Journal of Laws No. 91, item 410, as amended)
Act of December 5, 1996 on the medical profession (Journal of Laws No. 28, item 28, as amended)