Patient rights

1. Patient Rights (Health Act 6.§-25.§)

1.1 The right to Healthcare

Every patient has the right to health care that is justified by their state of health, is appropriate, accessible and continuously available, and meets the requirement of equal treatment, within the limits set by law. Patients have the right to choose the health care provider of the professional level appropriate to their condition and, if the conditions laid down in the Health Care Act are met, the doctor providing the care. The patient has the right to request an examination by another doctor in relation to the diagnosis made, the proposed therapy and the referral to a health care provider.

1.2 The right to human dignity

The human dignity of the patient must be respected in the provision of healthcare. Patients should only be subjected to procedures necessary for their care. The patient may be restricted in the exercise of his or her rights during the course of treatment only to the extent and in the manner prescribed by law and for the period justified by their state of health.

1.3 The right to have contact

Patients may exercise their right of contact while respecting the rights of their fellow patients and ensuring the continuity of patient care. Patients have the right to communicate with others, either orally or in writing, during their stay in the establishment, and to receive visitors and to exclude from visits those they have designated. The patient may prohibit the disclosure to others of the fact of his treatment or other information relating to his treatment. This may be waived only in the interests of his care, at the request of a close relative or a person responsible for his care.

1.4 The right to Leave the Facility

Patients have the right to leave the health care institution, provided that they do not endanger the health and safety of others. This right may be restricted only in cases provided for by law.
The patient shall notify the attending physician of their intention to leave, who shall record this fact in the patient’s medical records.

1.5 The right to be Informed

The patient has the right to be fully informed in a comprehensible and individualised manner, taking into account their age, education, knowledge and state of mind. This information shall include in particular: the patient’s state of health, including their medical assessment, the proposed tests and procedures, the possible benefits and risks of carrying out or not carrying out the proposed tests and procedures, the planned time and procedures, the patient’s right to choose, the possible alternative procedures, the process and expected outcome of the treatment, the proposed lifestyle.

1.6 The right to Self-determination

The right of self-determination is the freedom to decide whether to receive healthcare and which procedures to consent to or refuse.
Patients have the right to participate in decisions concerning their examination and treatment and to give their informed consent (hereinafter ‘consent’) to the performance of a health procedure, free from deception, threat or coercion.
For invasive procedures, the patient must give their consent in writing; in all other cases, consent given verbally or by impulse is sufficient.
Where the patient is incapacitated, the right to give and refuse consent may be exercised by the patient’s legal representative or, failing this, by the persons specified by law. T
he patient’s consent to procedures shall be presumed if the patient is unable to give consent due to his state of health and there would be a delay in locating the person who would give consent under the Health Act, and in the case of invasive procedures, if, in addition to the delay in locating the person, there is also a risk that delay in the procedure would lead to permanent damage.
The patient’s consent is not required if failure to carry out the procedure or any action would seriously endanger the health or physical integrity of others or if the patient’s life is in imminent danger.

1.7 The right to Refuse Treatment

A patient who is legally competent has the right to refuse treatment, as provided for by law, unless failure to do so would endanger the life or physical integrity of others. For more detailed information on the conditions of this right, please contact the patient’s doctor. In all cases where refusal would result in serious or irreversible harm, it must be made by means of a public or private document with full probative value. In the case of incapacitated patients and patients with reduced capacity to act, an intervention which would result in permanent disability or serious impairment of health may not be refused to the legal representative. A person of legal capacity may also refuse procedures in the future if they would be in a situation where they would not be able to make a declaration in the event of incapacity, but they may only do so by means of a public deed. There are special rules on refusal in the case of incurable illness.

1.8 The right of Access to the Medical Record

The patient has the right to be informed of the managing of their data in connection with their treatment, to be informed of the data contained in the medical records, to be informed of the medical data concerning them, to consult the medical records and to receive copies of the medical records at their own expense.

1.9 The right to Medical Confidentiality

Persons involved in the provision of health care should disclose health and personal information that comes to their knowledge in the course of providing care to a patient only to the authorised person and keep it confidential.

2. Obligations of the Patient (Health Care 26.§-27.§)

When using health care services, patients are obliged to respect the relevant legislation and the rules of the institution.
The patient must cooperate, according to their abilities and knowledge, with the health professionals involved in their care, as far as their state of health allows.
Patients and their relatives must respect the rights of other patients during the exercise of their rights.
In exercising their rights, patients and their relatives must not infringe the legal rights of healthcare workers.

3. Exercising Patients’ Rights

If you have a complaint about hospital care or the exercise of your rights, you can report it in writing or orally to the health care provider. You can initiate a complaint procedure at the National Office of the Chief Medical Officer under Act XXIX of 2004. You can also apply to the Mediatory Council operating beside the Forensic Medical Chamber. To the patients’ ombudsman listed at the National Documentation Center for Patients’ Rights.

The patient rights representative for the area of Optimum Vision Center:

Name: Katalin Gerőcs
Contact number during working hours: 20/ 4899-554
E-mail: [email protected]
Reception hours on Tuesdays from 13:00 to 16:00
Szent János Kórház and Észak-budai Egyesített Kórház
Administration Building (Building 1)
1023 Budapest, Diós árok 1-3.

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