The Right to Timely Medical Care: Mechanism of Implementation

Abstract

The content of the right to timely medical care is highlighted in this article. An analysis of the national legislation in the field of timeliness of emergency, primary, and specialized medical care was carried out and its comparison was made with international standards in the specified field, as well as with the doctrinal understanding of the timeliness of medical care. While emergency medical care is built on the principle of continuity and the maximum terms for receiving this type of medical care are established, primary and specialized medical care require legislative revision with regards to establishing the maximum terms for receiving primary and specialized medical care, ensuring the continuity of primary medical care, in particular on weekends, public holidays, non-working days. The legislator should pay special attention to ensuring the timeliness of specialized medical care upon referral, as well as the patient’s right to information about the possibility of receiving timely medical care in healthcare institutions. Other deficiencies in the legal regu- lation of the right to timely medical care are identified and ways to overcome this problem are proposed.