On April 18, the European Day of Patients’ Rights is celebrated, with the aim of making the inhabitants of the member states of the European Union aware of their rights and the commitments that health institutions must acquire to enforce them.
The origin of this celebration dates back to 2002, when the Active Citizenship Network (ACN, Active Citizenship Network) drafted, together with some citizen organizations, the European Charter of Patient Rights.
The 14 Rights of Patients
The European Charter of Patients’ Rights includes a list of 14 fundamentals that are the following:
-Right to preventive measures
-Right of access
-Right to information
-Right to consent
-Right to free choice
-Right to privacy and confidentiality
-Right to respect the time of patients
-Right to compliance with quality standards
-Right to security
-Right to innovation
-Right to avoid unnecessary suffering and pain
-Right to personalized treatment
-Right to claim
-Right to receive compensation
Patient rights and political commitment
- The objective of the European Day of Patients’ Rights is precisely to reinforce the commitment and cooperation between the participating groups of European health so that these fundamentals are fulfilled.
- According to the Spanish Society for Attention to Health Users, the European Union seeks to make European citizens aware of cross-border rights in the health field derived from its policies.