Patient ombudsperson and Parliamentary Ombudsman

Patient ombudsperson promotes the realisation of patients’ rights

Each health centre and hospital has a patient ombudsperson that promotes the rights of the patient. The services of the patient ombudsperson are free of charge. The purpose of the patient ombudsperson is to provide advice and assistance if you are unhappy with the care or treatment that you have received, for example. The patient ombudsperson can also assist you in making a claim.

The patient ombudsperson cannot comment on medical treatment decisions or whether or not treatment injury has taken place. If you suspect that treatment injury has taken place, you can register an injury report with the Patient Insurance Centre. You can get the contact information for the patient ombudsperson from the health centre or hospital where you were treated.

Parliamentary Ombudsman supervises healthcare professionals

You can file a complaint with the Parliamentary Ombudsman if you suspect that an authority or civil servant has not followed the law or has failed to fulfil their duties. The Parliamentary Ombudsman’s supervision also includes other public servants, such as public healthcare professionals. You can also file a complaint if you suspect that basic rights or human rights have not been appropriately considered.

The ombudsman cannot change an official decision. However, the ombudsman may perform an investigation and, for example, issue a notice to the authority or even press charges against them.

A complaint cannot be filed for a matter that is over two years old or a matter where the appeal process or court processing is still under way.