Patient’s rights

Patient’s rights

Our goal is to care for and treat our patients as well as possible. Sometimes mistakes may occur, and the patient may be dissatisfied with the care or treatment they have received or there is a reason to suspect a malpractice. In such situations, the patient is always entitled to file a complaint to the hospital.

It is a good idea to talk to the doctor who cared for you, or the nursing staff. Most issues can be dealt with most expediently where they have been raised. If the issue is not resolved, or you want to submit an objection, file a complaint or claim for damages, you can contact the Heart Hospital Patient Ombudsman. The contact may come from the patient or their relative.

The Ombudsman is there for the patients

The Ombudsman is charged with advising and helping the patient if they are not happy with the care or treatment they have received.

Heart Hospital’s Ombudsman helps the patient in solving their problems. She also advices and helps the patient with drafting their objection, complaint or claim for damages (the latter submitted to the Patient Insurance Centre).

The Ombudsman will not take issue with decisions of medical care, nor whether during the medical care, a malpractice has occurred.

Heart Hospital Ombudsman

Tiina Heinonen
Tel: +358 (0)3 311 69239

Objection or complaint

The objection can be freely worded or by a form specifically provided by the Heart Hospital Patient Ombudsman on request. The hospital’s Chief Medical Officer will issue a written decision on the case, indicating possible remedial measures. Their decision cannot be appealed.

If you are dissatisfied with the suggested solution or want to complain, you may file a complaint with the supervisory authority for healthcare, such as Regional State Administrative Agency, or the Health and Social Welfare Authority. The Patient Ombudsman will give further information about objections and complaints if requested.

If a malpractice has taken place, the patient or a close family member has the right to file a notice of injury to the Patient Insurance Centre, and a claim for compensation. The Patient Ombudsman has claim forms, or one can be downloaded from the Insurance Centre’s website. The Patient Insurance covers personal injury which incurred during medical care. Personal injury is taken to mean illness, disability or other temporary or permanent worsening of the patient’s health, or death. The claim must be submitted within three years of when the patient knew about the injury, or when they should have known about it.

Injury due to incorrect delivery of pharmaceuticals

Compensation under patient insurance requires that the mistake was made in prescribing or dosing medicine sold or consumed in Finland. It covers unexpected adverse effects on users of medicines. Medical injury means a physical illness, incapacity or a comparable serious mental illness that the medicine may have caused. If necessary, the patient may file a notice of injury to the Pharmaceutical Injuries Insurance. The Patient Ombudsman will assist you to fill the form.