Deputies support the idea that medical personnel must introduce themselves to the patient

Health law expert Solvita Olsen pointed out that it is important for the attending physician to know the patient’s name and for the patient to know the doctor’s name, but in practice this often does not happen. Namely, the patient enters the doctor’s office without knowing the doctor’s name and specialty. She herself has come across a case when there was a paramedic in the treatment room, not a doctor, but the patient himself cannot know this. Meanwhile, in foreign countries, the duty of the doctor to inform the patient about his name, surname and specialty is a norm, a respectful attitude, which does not cause any long-term discussions compared to Latvia, said Olsen.

The expert added that the doctor does not have to introduce himself to the patient every time, but only when starting the treatment. Accordingly, a family doctor who knows his patients does not have to come forward every time.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) emphasized that every patient has the right to know the doctor’s name if he has not introduced himself, however, in its assessment, the problem could be in inpatients. Usually in medical institutions, the medical staff wear gowns on which a card with name, surname and specialty is attached, but if there are none, then the institution is obliged to provide them. Even the patient himself, signing up for a visit to a particular specialist, knows who he has come to see. The situation is opposite in inpatient reception departments, where doctors change, the workload is high, and the doctor may have forgotten the obligation to introduce himself to the patient.