Insight and Values
Members of society are bound to respect each other’s dignity, especially during times of illness. According to the Iranian Constitution, respecting transcendent human dignity is a founding principle of the Islamic Republic, and the government is obliged to provide universal healthcare services.
Therefore, health services should be provided fairly and with respect to patients’ human rights and dignity.
This charter is written according to human values, Islamic-Iranian culture, and equal inherent dignity of all healthcare recipients to protect, raise, and strengthen the bond between healthcare service providers and recipients.
Patients’ Rights
- Patients have the right to receive the desired healthcare services. Healthcare services should:
1.1. Respect human dignity and cultural and religious values and beliefs.
1.2. Be based on honesty, justice, decorum, and kindness.
1.3. Be free from any ethnic, cultural, religious, illness, or gender discrimination.
1.4. Be based on the latest scientific developments.
1.5. Prioritize patient interests.
1.6. Try to fairly distribute healthcare resources according to healthcare priorities.
1.7. Bring harmony to principles of care, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.
1.8. Be accompanied with all basic and necessary facilities without inflicting pain and suffering with unnecessary restrictions.
1.9. Pay special attention to the rights of vulnerable groups, including children, pregnant women, the elderly, the mentally-ill, prisoners, the mentally and physically disabled, and individuals without caretakers.
1.10. Be provided as fast as possible and respect the patient's time.
1.11. Consider variables such as recipients’ language, age, and gender.
1.12. Emergency care should be provided regardless of payment according to specific rules for elective procedures.
1.13. If adequate emergency services cannot be provided, the patient should be provided with essential services and explanations and transferred to units with the necessary equipment.
1.14. In the final stages of life when the patient’s condition is irrecoverable and death is imminent, their comfort is paramount. Reducing the patient’s pain and suffering requires attention to their mental, social, spiritual, and emotional needs. In time of death, the patient has the right to spend their last moments with whomever they want.
- The patient should be provided with the adequate and desired information.
2.1. The information should contain the following points:
2.1.1. The patient's charter articles during admission.
2.1.2. The hospital’s rules and projected costs, including health and non-health services, insurance conditions, and introducing supportive systems during admission.
2.1.3. The medical team's names, responsibilities, and professional positions, including doctors, nurses, students, and their professional relationship.
2.1.4. Diagnostic and therapeutic methods and their strengths and weaknesses and potential side-effects, diagnosis, prognosis and its side-effects, and all the information affecting the patient's decision.
2.1.5. Access to the attending physician and other medical team members during treatment.
2.1.6. All actions intended for research.
2.1.7. The necessary training for continued treatment.
2.2. The information should be provided in the following manner:
2.2.1. The information should be provided on time and according to the patient’s conditions, including anxiety, pain, and their personal identity, including language, education, and perception, unless:
- Procrastinating treatment to provide the aforementioned information causes harm to patient (In this case, the information should be provided soon after the necessary actions.)
- Despite knowledge of their right to information, the patient refuses. In this case, the patient’s request should be respected unless their unawareness poses serious risks to themselves or others.
2.2.2. The patient can access all the information recorded in their clinical file, receive a copy, and request errors to be corrected.
- The patient’s right to choose and decide to receive services should be respected.
3.1. The selection and decision applies to the following cases:
3.1.1. Selecting the attending physician and the healthcare service center according to rules.
3.1.2. Choosing and asking a second physician as a counselor.
3.1.3. Deciding to participate in research with assurance that their decisions will not affect the continuation of healthcare services.
3.1.4. Accepting or rejecting recommended therapies after awareness of potential side-effects, except suicide or when rejecting treatment can pose serious risk to others.
3.1.5. The patient’s previous decisions regarding future treatments when the patient is deemed fit to decide will be recorded as a medical guide for when they are incapacitated to decide according to the healthcare service provider's legal rules and the substitute decision maker.
3.2. The selection and decision conditions are as follows:
3.2.1. The patient’s selection and decision should be free and informed with comprehensive information (stated in article 2);
3.2.2. After receiving the information, the patient should be given time to decide.
- Healthcare services should be provided with respect to privacy and confidence.
4.1. The confidence of all patient information is necessary with legal exceptions.
4.2. The patient’s right to privacy should be respected in all healthcare stages, including diagnosis and therapy. In this regard, all the means of guaranteeing the patient’s privacy should be provided.
4.3. Only the patient, the medical group, and individuals allowed by the patient or law can access information.
4.4. The patient has the right to be accompanied by a trusted person in all diagnostic stages, including examinations. Children have the right to be accompanied by a parent in all medical stages except when deemed against medical necessities.
- Patients have the right to an efficient grievance handling system.
5.1. If patients claim that their rights under this charter are violated, they can submit complaints to relevant authorities without disrupting the quality of healthcare received.
5.2. Patients have the right to be informed about their grievance handling results.
5.3. Mistakes by healthcare providers should be compensated as soon as possible after investigation and verification.
If the patient is incapacitated to make decisions when implementing this charter's articles, the legal substitute decision maker will have all patient rights stated in this charter. However, if the substitute decider opposes doctors and prevents treatment, the doctor can request authorities to reconsider the decision. If the patient is incapacitated to decide but can make logical decisions during certain stages, their decision should be respected.