Changes within the scope of criminal liability of healthcare professional as introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic has markedly affected the life of people worldwide. In Poland, one of its consequences consisted in new laws being put into force to regulate the provision of healthcare services. This gave rise to much anxiety and concern within the healthcare community, particularly among the specialists in interventional medicine. Taking into account all signals received by the National Consultant, Voivodeship Consultants, as well as the Association of Polish Surgeons and the Polish Chamber of Physicians and Dentists, the new regulations negatively affect the performance of healthcare professionals, e.g. in the context of diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making or activities potentially beneficial for patients not being undertaken. The authors of the article have analyzed the regulations in force in an attempt to bring their interpretation into line with their substance and their objective, as well as to provide comprehensive answers to questions and concerns as raised by interventional surgeons.