Protection of the Rights of Minor Patients in the Light of the Requirements of the Document on ‘Standards for the Protection of Minors’

From 15 August 2024, institutions providing healthcare services where children are or may be present are required to introduce an additional mandatory document, the so-called Standards for the Protection of Minors. The essence of this document is to ensure the safety of a minor patient in relations with the entity’s staff, other minor patients and persons close to them. The legislature’s idea was to indicate the principles determining safe contact with a minor and the procedures for responding in any situation of suspicion that a child is being harmed. Unfortunately, the universal scheme set out by the Act is difficult to implement to the same extent in every institution; it therefore requires adaptation to the specifics of its activity. It also requires taking into account the risks that may occur in a given place and the provisions regulating the activity of the entity and its internal regulations. This article aims to present selected problems noticed during the development and introduction of the document on standards for the protection of minors in medical institutions.