Doctors may treat kids without both parents' consent again

Prague, Feb 19 (CTK) - The Czech Chamber of Deputies Tuesday definitively passed its original version of the bill abolishing both parents' obligatory agreement with the method of medical treatment of their kid and rejected some additional proposals submitted by the upper house.

To take effect, the amended bill on medical services needs to be signed by the president.

The obligatory agreement of both parents was introduced within the health care reform last April. However, the measure caused troubles. The present amendment has been proposed by Health Minister Leos Heger (TOP 09).

The amendment says the child's agreement with the treatment method will be enough, but the doctor will have to decide whether this can be accepted in view of the patient's intellectual maturity.

If it were unacceptable, a parent's agreement will be necessary, but the parent will be able to empower another person, a grandparent or a guardian, for example, to give the agreement.

The bill also better specifies the list of medical services doctors can provide without the agreement.

If the doctor has to intervene to save a child's life and if the parent or custodian disagrees with it, the doctor will not have to respect the latter's view.

If the medical intervention is not needed urgently, the doctor should turn to a court.

The amendment scraps the provision binding doctors to require a new agreement with the treatment from patients every month.

Addressing the lower house on behalf of the Senate, the upper house dominated by the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD), senator Jan Zaloudik (CSSD) defended the Senate's proposals concerning the bill.

He criticised Heger for deciding, in his capacity as a deputy, on a draft amendment he submitted as minister.

The Senate proposed a formulation that a parent or a guardian's agreement is required but the child's view should be also taken into account.

The Senate also unsuccessfully proposed that doctors chambers' authorised representatives be empowered to look into patients' health files without the patients' agreement.