OBLIGATION TO DENOUNCE IN THE CONTEXT OF MEDICAL CONFIDENTIALITY

Abstract

The subject of the article is the issue of the obligation to notify about a crime in relation to medical confi dentiality. Medical workers may obtain information indicating the commission of a criminal act while performing medical services. An important issue is whether, in such a situation, they can or should notify law enforcement authorities. In order to resolve these issues, the legislator defi nes the legal and social obligation to denounce. The legal obligation of a medical worker to notify about a crime relates to the offences specifi ed in Art. 240 (1) of the Act of June 6, 1997 — Penal Code. Among the enumerated types of generic acts covered by denunciation, particularly important due to the issues raised, are the crime of murder (Article 148 of the Penal Code) and deprivation of liberty (Article 189 of the Penal Code). A medical worker having obtained reliable information about the commission of a criminal act is obliged to notify law enforcement authorities. It is irrelevant whether they learned about it while carrying out professional activities or without a connection with their performance. The criminal sanction for failure to comply with the obligation under Article 240 (1) of the Criminal Code is a prison sentence of up to 3 years. However, the social obligation to denounce is introduced by Art. 304 (1) of the Act of June 6, 1997 — Code of Criminal Procedure. Failure to fulfi l obligations of this nature does not result in any criminal consequences. The social obligation to denounce does not include offences prosecuted on private accusation or on request of the victim. It is worth noting that this obligation does not repeal any of the laws regulating medical secrets. In this case, a medical worker who has learned of a crime in connection with the exercise of their profession has no obligation to denounce. It should be emphasised that a medical worker may fulfi l the obligation to denounce only if the patient or their legal representative has consented to it, or if there are premises for presuming the consent.