"We are meeting at a difficult moment in the ongoing pandemic. We all know that we need to change a lot to make the health care system more accessible, safer and more patient-friendly." - stressed Patient Ombudsman Bartłomiej Chmielowiec during a public hearing at the 15th Patients' Organisations Forum.
The country's epidemiological situation has forced all actors in the healthcare system to step up their efforts. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Patients' Ombudsman has been upholding patient safety and the observance of patients' rights.
Ensuring safe care in complex, challenging and rapidly changing settings - these are the main goals of this year's Ombudsman's Year of Patient Safety activities. "We want the patient not only to have real access to medical services, but also to feel safe throughout the therapeutic process," added Bartłomiej Chmielowiec.
The Patient Ombudsman also referred to the amendment of the Act on Patients' Rights and Patients' Ombudsman:
"There is a full understanding on the part of the Ministry of Health of the need to work on this law. Among other things, significant changes are planned with regard to medical consiliums or medical power of attorney. The representation of patient organisations will be strengthened. Additional powers will also be given to the institution of the Patient Ombudsman so that he can react more quickly and effectively to ensure that patients' rights are respected." - Bartłomiej Chmielowiec pointed out.
The Patients' Ombudsman also conducts a large number of investigations into individual cases and investigations into practices that infringe patients' collective rights. "In 2020. The MPC investigated more than 135,000 signals regarding violations of patient rights, we intervened more than 7,000 times," - he explained.
At the time of the introduction of the epidemic emergency in Poland, there was a definite increase in the total number of calls directed to the Patient Telephone Information Service - in March 2020, it stood at 17,720. Comparing the number of calls with March 2019, an increase of up to 152 per cent in the signals transmitted by patients is evident. Later in the epidemic, the number of telephone calls stabilised at a lower level, but there was an overall increase compared to the same period last year.
The educational activities planned in 2021 as part of strengthening patient safety are also extremely important, including an educational campaign for adolescents on mental health care, the broadcast of short educational films on patient safety. "We must remember that safety is quality and we cannot afford to fall short of this quality," he stressed.
Another step in the right direction is also the establishment of a Compensation Fund, which will be set up later this year. "The fund will cover both COVID 19 vaccination and, in the next phase, universal vaccination. This is both a step towards creating an effective no-fault system, but also a strengthening of patient safety, which is most important to us," said the Patient Ombudsman.
During the 15th Patients' Organisations Forum, Patients' Rights Ombudsman Bartłomiej Chmielowiec presented the My Patients Foundation with the 'For Health and Patients' Award in the Patients' Rights and Safety category.
Source: Patient Ombudsman