Patient Ombudsman takes over the affairs of provincial medical incident adjudication commissions

As of July 1, 2024, the provincial commissions for adjudication of medical events, which functioned within the Provincial Offices, have been abolished. According to the Office of the MPC, proceedings pending before the commissions, not completed by June 30, 2024, will be taken over for handling by the Patient Ombudsman. In order to take over cases not completed in the commissions, a team has been established in the Office of the Patient Ombudsman, which includes people with medical training and lawyers specializing in medical error cases. The process of receiving the files from each Provincial Office is currently underway. Each Office must bring the documents to Warsaw, where the Patient Ombudsman is based.

As the files mostly consist of patients' medical records, special precautions are being taken to ensure that sensitive data is properly protected. Due to the surprisingly large number of proceedings uncompleted before the committees (about 370 cases), the process of taking over the files will continue until mid-August this year. Initially, it was expected that there would be about 50 uncompleted cases, so the time needed to properly seize them had to be extended. Since the case files are mostly on paper, once the files are scanned and uploaded to the electronic system, they will be decreed for processing.

Making every effort to make the process as fast and smooth as possible, the Patient Ombudsman asks for patience and forbearance from the participants in the proceedings being taken over.

Source: MPC