Patient Rights

The rights of patients are regulated by the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, the Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania, the Law on the Rights of Patients and Compensation for the Damage to Their Health:
http://www3.lrs.lt/pls/inter3/dokpaieska.showdoc_l?p_id=384290

Other laws and legal acts:
/go.php/Pacientu_teises

Also, Lithuania has ratified many international conventions in respect of this field such as the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine, the Ljubljana Charter, the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, etc.

Rights and Duties of the Patient:

• Right to High Quality Health Care Services
• Right to Choose a Health Care Institution and a Health Care Professional
• Right to Information
• Right not to Know
• Right of Access to Entries in one's Medical Records
• Right to Privacy
• Specifics of the Right to Privacy
• Patient's Right to Anonymous Health Care
• Patient’s Participation in Biomedical Research and Teaching Process
• Right to Compensation for the Damage

Patient’s Duties

• The patient must familiarise himself against signature with the internal regulations of the health care institution as presented to him, other documents prescribed by the health care institution and execute the duties indicated therein.
• The patient must look after his health, exercise his rights in good faith, not abuse them, and cooperate with professionals and employees of the health care institution.
• Patients seeking access to health care services must present the documents confirming their identity, except for the cases of emergency health care.
• The patient must, to the possible extent, provide health care professionals with any information about his health, previous diseases, the operations undergone, the medication taken or being taken, allergic reactions, genetic inheritance and other data known to the patient, required for adequate provision of health care services.
• The patient, upon receiving information about the health care services prescribed for him must confirm in writing his consent or refusal with regard to the provision of these health care services in the cases specified by this Law.
• The patient must follow the prescriptions and recommendations of health care professionals or refuse the prescribed health care services in accordance with the procedure established by this Law. The patient must inform the health care professionals about any deviations from the prescriptions or the prescribed treatment regime which he has accepted.
• The patient must treat all employees of the health care institution and other patients with due respect.
• The provision of health care services may be terminated in respect of the patient who violates his duties and thereby causes danger to his own and other patients’ health and life or prevents them from receiving high quality health care services, except for the cases when the patient’s life would be endangered. 

 Patient’s Duties

• The patient must familiarise himself against signature with the internal regulations of the health care institution as presented to him, other documents prescribed by the health care institution and execute the duties indicated therein.
• The patient must look after his health, exercise his rights in good faith, not abuse them, and cooperate with professionals and employees of the health care institution.
• Patients seeking access to health care services must present the documents confirming their identity, except for the cases of emergency health care.
• The patient must, to the possible extent, provide health care professionals with any information about his health, previous diseases, the operations undergone, the medication taken or being taken, allergic reactions, genetic inheritance and other data known to the patient, required for adequate provision of health care services.
• The patient, upon receiving information about the health care services prescribed for him must confirm in writing his consent or refusal with regard to the provision of these health care services in the cases specified by this Law.
• The patient must follow the prescriptions and recommendations of health care professionals or refuse the prescribed health care services in accordance with the procedure established by this Law. The patient must inform the health care professionals about any deviations from the prescriptions or the prescribed treatment regime which he has accepted.
• The patient must treat all employees of the health care institution and other patients with due respect.
• The provision of health care services may be terminated in respect of the patient who violates his duties and thereby causes danger to his own and other patients’ health and life or prevents them from receiving high quality health care services, except for the cases when the patient’s life would be endangered.

The State Health Care Accreditation Agency under the Ministry of Health examines violations of patients’ rights and evaluates quality of health care specialists‘work.

Lithuanian Bioethics Committee facilitates the protection of patients' rights in the field of biomedical research, coordinates the ethical review of biomedical research projects in Lithuania as well as informs biomedical community and general public on ethical issues and moral dilemmas arising in the context of modern health care

The Commission on Evaluation of Damage Inflicted upon the Health of Patients under the Ministry of Health examines disputes regarding compensation of the damage made to patients. The Commission decides whether the damage was made to a patient at health care institutions and, 
if yes, the amount of compensation he or she must receive.

The Ministry of Health much attention gives to reinforcement of the rights of patients: various seminars and discussions are organised for medical staff and patients in order to achieve true partnership in treatment and convalescence processes.

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