This guide explains the main rights of patients receiving care at PRODENT sp. z o.o. in Nysa, Poland. These rights arise from Polish law, particularly the Act of 6 November 2008 on Patients’ Rights and the Commissioner for Patients’ Rights, alongside the clinic’s organisational rules.
It is an English-language overview of care provided in Poland. The Polish Commissioner for Patients’ Rights publishes official information about these rights and how to exercise them.
Care based on current medical knowledge
You have the right to healthcare that meets current medical standards and is delivered with due care by appropriately qualified professionals. Treatment should take account of your health, clinical needs and safety.
Information about your rights
You can ask the clinic for information about your rights and how our services are organised. Tell us if you need an explanation in a form you can understand. If you need language support, discuss arrangements with reception before your appointment.
A second opinion
You may ask your treating doctor to seek another doctor’s opinion or arrange a medical consultation. The doctor may decline a request considered medically unfounded; the request and any refusal should be recorded in your medical records. You may also seek an independent opinion from another provider.
Urgent medical needs
You have the right to immediate healthcare where a threat to health or life requires it. This does not mean that the clinic operates a round-the-clock emergency service. For difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing or another life-threatening emergency in Poland, call 112 or 999.
Privacy and dignity
Your dignity and privacy must be respected during consultations and treatment. You can ask for a person close to you to be present, subject to the legal exceptions concerning patient safety or an epidemic threat. You also have the right to appropriate assessment and treatment of pain.
Clear information about your health
You are entitled to understandable information about your condition, diagnosis, available diagnostic and treatment options, foreseeable consequences, treatment results and prognosis. You may ask questions before making a decision and decide who else may receive information about your health.
Consent to treatment
After receiving the relevant information, you may consent to or refuse a proposed examination or treatment, subject to the exceptions set out in law. Certain procedures, including surgery and higher-risk methods, require written consent. Signing a general registration form does not replace informed consent for a specific procedure.
For patients under 16, consent is generally provided by a parent or other legal representative. From age 16, the young patient’s consent is also required alongside that of the legal representative. Children should receive information appropriate to their age and understanding. Where consent is disputed, the rules governing the guardianship court may apply. Patients with a legally appointed guardian retain their patient rights; consent and representation follow the rules applicable to their circumstances. See the official guidance on consent.
Participation in medical research
Participation in a medical experiment requires separate consent and the safeguards required by law. It is voluntary, and consent may be withdrawn. This description of your rights does not imply that the clinic conducts medical experiments.
Access to your medical records
You have the right to access records relating to your health and treatment and to authorise another person to access them. Ask reception how to request access or a copy. The first copy provided to a patient or their legal representative in the requested scope is free of charge; any further charges must comply with the law. More information is available in the official medical-records guidance.
Confidentiality and data protection
Healthcare professionals must keep information about you confidential, subject to the exceptions permitted by law. Personal data is protected under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, known in Poland as RODO) and applicable Polish law. The clinic’s GDPR information and privacy policy explain how it handles personal data.
Choosing another provider
You may choose to seek care elsewhere and request the records needed to continue treatment. Availability, payment arrangements and any public-funding rules depend on the provider and the service concerned.
If a doctor intends to discontinue your treatment, you have the right to receive information sufficiently in advance and to be told about realistic options for care with another doctor or provider. The Commissioner explains this in the guidance on the right to information.
Raising a concern or complaint
You can raise concerns about care or service at the clinic without losing your right to respectful treatment. Our complaints and feedback page explains how to contact the owner. You may also contact the Polish Commissioner for Patients’ Rights independently.
Registration and information about services
You can ask about the clinic’s available services, appointment arrangements and fees before committing to treatment. Reception can help arrange a consultation and explain how to contact the clinical team about questions that require a dentist’s assessment.
Reporting suspected medicine side effects
You may report a suspected adverse reaction to a medicine to a healthcare professional or directly to Poland’s Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products (URPL). If a reaction is severe or urgent, seek medical help first.
Commissioner for Patients’ Rights
The Rzecznik Praw Pacjenta is Poland’s Commissioner for Patients’ Rights. For advice about patient rights, call 800 190 590 from Poland. The official patient helpline operates 24 hours a day. Language support and access to the freephone number from overseas may vary.
- Office address: ul. Płocka 11/13, 01-231 Warszawa, Poland.
- Email: [email protected].
- Current contact channels: Commissioner for Patients’ Rights — contact.
The clinic’s organisational rules provide additional information about receiving care at ProDent.
