Pawlica Beata, Płonka-Syroka Bożena, Stych Marek, Evolution of the right to health care in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has sharply increased the threat to public health in many countries, including Poland. On the one hand, it has forced us to reevaluate our lifestyles, and on the other, it has revealed tangible organizational and personnel problems in health care institutions. The pandemic has also limited or even made it impossible for patients to exercise their right to health care. Moreover, it has revealed various dysfunctions of the health care system. The article attempts to analyze the evolution of legal regulations pertaining to health care and their health effects that may emerge in Poland after the pandemic has ended. The authors attempt to answer the following questions: 1) have the legislative changes extended the patient’s rights or are they mainly aimed at protecting doctors? 2) what was the legislator’s motivation to introduce such changes? 3) how can their effects be assessed? 4) did Polish doctors...