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Patient rights are a reflection of human rights. The human right movement has gathered importance in the world since 1945, when, on 10 December 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. This was followed, on 4 November, 1950, by the signature of the European Convention of Human Rights. The rights of the patients, as specific human rights became recognized throughout the European region only in the past two decades.
Especially important was the European Consultation on the Rights of Patients, held in Amsterdam on 28-30 March 1994 under the auspices of the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO-EURO), and hosted by the Government of the Netherlands, which was attended by some 60 persons from 36 Member States. The purpose was to define principles and strategies for promoting the rights of patients, within the context of the health care reform process underway in most countries in Europe.
Access to patient files is secured by Article 18 of the Comment 34 to Article 19 (2) International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 12 (b) (iv)General Comment 14 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Patients rights and their foundation in several European countries are described here:
The European Ombudsman Speech, 3 June 2005 "Patients’ rights in Europe today"
Hungarian Civil Liberties Union: Policy Paper On The Rights Of Patients and
Index Foundation: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/index-bg/. Short description of legal patients rights of 11 European countries can be found.
Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH): Program on International Health and Human Rights. (Human Rights, Health and Development)
GENETIC TESTING. Patients' Rights, Insurance and Employment. A Survey of Regulations in the European Union (http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/biosociety/pdf/genetic_testing_eur20446.pdf ).
Support patients' rights by E-Mail to the EU and European Parliament
Support patients' rights by E-Mail to the Federal Government in Germany
18. November 2024: How stop the dramatic increase of coercion in Norway?
8. November 2024: Letter to member of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) Martin Zinkler about coercion in Norway
17. Mars 2024: Is the evidence strong enough to support medicating nearly all with antipsychotics long-term?
27. February 2024: Do randomized controlled trials strongly support the efficacy of antipsychotics for the acute treatment of psychosis and prevention of relapse?
03. February.2024: Bing (Copilot) about Walter Keim and shift of paradigm in treatment of psychosis
26. December 2023: Paradigm Shift to Promote a Revolution of Treatment of Schizophrenia to Achieve Recovery
22. November 2023: Medication Free Treatment in Norway and Germany
12.03.2022: To National Human Rights Institution: Withdrawal of the draft Additional Protocol to the Oviedo Convention of the Council of Europe
12.03.2022: To Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud: Withdrawal of the draft Additional Protocol to the Oviedo Convention of the Council of Europe
22.02.2021: Is it possible to end forced drugging and forced treatment?
7. September 2020: Does an Advanced Directive Protect against Psychiatrist Claim of danger?
10. November 2019: End Coercion in Mental Health Services—Toward a System Based on Support Only
4. February 2019: Treatment as Usual Falsified. Call for Studies to Find out why Open Dialogue Achieves better Results
4. December 2018: Petition: Abolish Forced Psychiatry
6. August 2017: Is it possible to give a rough guess on the long-term effect/harm of antipsychotics on recovery?
3. June 2017: Request for access to Norway's response: ‘Discontinue forced treatment/hospitalization’ under CRPD, CAT, CCRP and CESCR
12. February 2017: Knowledge- and research-based liquidation of current harmful psychiatric medication in favour of evidence-based practice to promote recovery
31. January 2017: Patients Perspective on Wards without Medication: Knowledge of Evidence and Human Rights
16. December 2016: Norway: Draft of CRPD, ICCPR and CAT parallel reporting to UN Committees: Forced psychiatric interventions as disability-based discrimination
December 2016: Draft Parallel Report to the 1th CRPD Periodic Report of Norway: Forced psychiatric interventions as disability-based discrimination
26. July 2016: Stop Torture in Psychiatry in Norway
03. July 2016: Campaign progress: Make Norway respect rights of persons with psychosocial disabilities
19. September 2015: Welcome Professor Kinderman to show how psychiatric health service can reduce forced drugging and solve human right problems
10. July 2015: Letter to Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland: What is the solution that NORWAY ranks highest in Europe in use of coercion in psychiatry including human rights breach forced drugging?
08. July 2015: UNACCEPTABLE: NORWAY ranks highest in Europe in use of coercion in psychiatry
19. June 2015: Campaign: NORWAY MUST FULLY RESPECT RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, says the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
16. June 2015: Letter to Prime minister Erna Solberg of Norway to respect human rights of people with disabilities and remove coercion in psychiatry
10. June 2015: Letter to Norwegian Authorities: Norway's human rights obligation to reduce and remove coercion in psychiatry
23 January 2015: Human Rights Commissioner Council of Europe recommends Norway: “reduce drastically the recourse to involuntary medical treatment & restraints”
28 November 2013: Norway should fully commit itself to international disability rights law
Six years after the WHO Declaration on the Promotion of Patients’ Rights in Europe (Amsterdam, 1994), more than eight countries (Denmark, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Israel, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway) have enacted laws on the rights of patients; and four countries (France, Ireland, Portugal and the United Kingdom) have used Patients’ Charters as a tool to promote patients’ rights. (German version). European Journal of Health Law 7: 1-3, 2000: Lars Fallberg: Patients’ Rights in Europe: Where do we stand and where do we go?
PatientNavigation is intended to improve transparency in health care by providing support to patients and their counsellors in finding their way through the tangled web of the health care system. It is not designed as a pilot, guiding and deciding, but as a compass that provides information but leaves the decision with the person concerned.
Many countries in the EU have laws or charters
securing the Rights of Patients. But minimum standards are
lacking. In order to give all citizens in Europe a minimum of
patients rights and to keep up with the international development
patients rights should be strengthened in EU member states.
Support
Patients Rights, by
the following E-Mail to the European Commission (click here):
I
support the call to the European Commission for securing the rights
of patients.
I
a guideline I suggest to use European Charter of Patients Rights
http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/european_charter.htm
and the "Recommendation Rec (2000) 5 of the Council of Europe on
the development of structures for citizen and patient participation
in the decision-making process affecting health care":
http://www.social.coe.int/en/qoflife/recomm/R(00)5.htm
.
(You may change the text according to your needs).
Many countries in the EU have laws securing the
Rights of Patients. Germany is one of the countries in the EU without
such a law. In order to keep up with the international development a
law on patients' rights should also be adopted in Germany.
Support
a German Patients' Rights Law, by
the following E-Mail to the German Government (click here):
I
support the call to the German Government for securing the rights of
patients by law.
I suggest to implement the European
Charter of Patients Rights
http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/european_charter.htm
and the "Recommendation Rec (2000) 5 of the Council of Europe on
the development of structures for citizen and patient participation
in the decision-making process affecting health care":
http://www.social.coe.int/en/qoflife/recomm/R(00)5.htm
.
(You may change the text according to your needs).
Warning: I do not accept any liability that the information on these pages is correct, accurate or up to date!
Please feel free to link this site!
PS: Thanks to all, who gave me this information. Please do not hesitate to mail me if you have one of the "missing links".
Visitor No. since 4. August 2001
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