| Frequent violations of patient rights |
| 24 September 2007 | 11:59
| Source:
B92 |
BELGRADE --
The Health Ministry receives 70 complaints a day from citizens who believe their rights were violated during treatment.
The Health Care Institution pays around RSD 1.5mn (EUR 19,000) per month to patients as compensation for mistreatment. Each complaint is unique in nature, refers to different health care institutions and problems, but their common denominator is improper behavior on the part of physicians.
“In most cases, patients complain to the Ministry once the damage has already been done,” says Maja Ivetiĉ, adviser to the Ministry.
“If a patient is prescribed a medicine which is not on a list of free-of-charge medication, he is often unsure whether to buy it and get money refunded by the insurance. When this happens, the best thing to do is contact the Ministry-appointed advocate for patients’ protection,” she said.
Those receiving treatment in hospitals most often complain about having to pay for medicines and hospital material that the law defines as free-of-charge.
The Health Care Agency pays RSD 20mn (EUR 250,000) a year in compensation.
“Last year we discovered that some employees from one hospital in Serbia were sending patients to buy catheters available for free in the hospital pharmacy, but the physician in question for whatever reason told his patients to go out and purchase the catheters,” the Agency Director, Svetlana Vukajloviĉ, told B92.
According to her, these cases are common as many patients are not familiar with their rights, and never seek help after suffering damage of this kind.
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