Children's Ombudsman asks about rules for visiting children in hospitals

- Of particular interest to me is the situation of children staying in hospitals, with regard to the realization of their right to contact with their parents and relatives, as well as the provision of additional nursing care for minors by these persons during hospitalization," Monika Horna-Cieślak wrote on May 14 to the managers of entities performing medical activities in the field of hospital services.

Monika Horna-Cieślak will ask for scans or photocopies of organizational bylaws or other internal documents that regulate the visitation and stay of parents, relatives or other legal representatives with the child in each hospital ward dedicated to the minor.

The Children's Ombudsman's position is that restrictions on the right to have a loved one present with a sick child in a ward should be applied on a case-by-case basis and only in exceptional circumstances - necessary for safety, health protection and the freedoms and rights of others. In turn, hospital managers must ensure that health services are provided in such a way that the right to have a loved one present with a sick child can be realized.

As practice shows, often the parents' stay with the child is either impossible or limited to a few hours during the day. The RPD notes that this is often due to an arbitrary way of organizing work in the ward, rather than individual decisions that take into account the situation of the child-patient in question.

Source: RPD