Patient rights in Romania, explained for everyone

In Romania, your rights as a patient are guaranteed by law — first and foremost by Law no. 46/2003 (the patient rights law), supplemented by Law no. 95/2006 on health reform. You have the right to be informed, to give or refuse your consent, to ask for a second opinion, to have your confidentiality respected, and to access your own medical record. These are not favors, but obligations that any healthcare provider — public hospital, private clinic, or practice — must respect.

Below is each right explained for everyone and, at the end, where you can complain if they are violated.

The legal framework, in brief

Three pieces of legislation matter most:

• Law no. 46/2003 — the patient rights law, the core text.
• Order of the Ministry of Health no. 1410/2016 — the implementing rules of Law 46/2003.
• Law no. 95/2006 on health reform, which regulates the medical system as a whole.

For your personal data, the GDPR rules are added — Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Law no. 190/2018.

The right to information

You have the right to understand what is happening with your health. Specifically, the doctor must inform you about:

• your state of health and the diagnosis;
• the proposed medical interventions and the risks of each;
• the alternatives to the proposed treatment, including what happens if you do nothing;
• the prognosis (the likely course).

The information must be provided in clear, respectful language, with as few technical terms as possible (Art. 8). If you don’t speak Romanian, you have the right to be informed in a language you know. You can also ask not to be informed, or to designate another person to receive the information on your behalf (Art. 9). On discharge, you have the right to a written summary of the investigations, diagnosis, and treatment (Art. 12).

The right to consent and to refuse treatment

No medical intervention can be carried out without your consent. Consent is given after you have been correctly informed — that is why it is called “informed consent.”

Just as important: you have the right to refuse or stop a treatment, by assuming responsibility in writing (Art. 13). The doctor is required to explain what you risk if you refuse. The exceptions are limited — for example, emergencies in which your life is in immediate danger and you cannot express your will (Art. 14–15).

Consent is also mandatory for the collection and use of biological products, for participation in clinical teaching or research, and for photography/filming (Art. 18–20).

The right to a second opinion

You can request and obtain another medical opinion (Art. 11). You do not have to justify the request and you do not need the first doctor’s consent. You have the right to take your results and record with you to show them to another specialist. See the detailed guide on a second medical opinion.

The right to confidentiality

All information about your condition — diagnosis, results, treatment, personal data — is confidential, including after death (Art. 21). It can be disclosed only:

• with your explicit consent;
• when the law expressly requires it;
• to other doctors directly involved in your treatment (Art. 23).

Interference in your private life is prohibited, with the exceptions provided by law (danger to you or to public health).

The right of access to your own record

You have access to your personal medical data (Art. 24 of Law 46/2003), and GDPR additionally gives you the right to a copy of it. In practice, you can request in writing a copy of the observation chart or of your results. Details in the guide on the copy of the medical record.

The right to care without discrimination

You have the right to be respected as a person, without any discrimination (Art. 3) — regardless of ethnicity, religion, age, sex, orientation, disability, or social status. You have the right to continuous medical care until your condition improves or you are cured (Art. 35) and to respect for your dignity, including in end-of-life care.

Where to complain if your rights are violated

Depending on the problem, you can turn to:

• The College of Physicians (Colegiul Medicilor) (at the local level, the Cluj College of Physicians) — for ethical or professional breaches by a doctor. You file a written complaint, and the disciplinary committee analyzes it.
• The Public Health Directorate (DSP) — for complaints about a medical unit, the conditions of care, or access to services. The DSP also hosts the committee that analyzes malpractice complaints.
• ANSPDCP (the National Supervisory Authority for Personal Data Processing) — for a breach of confidentiality or of your rights regarding personal data.
• The Health Insurance House (CAS/CNAS) — if you were refused covered services or asked for unjustified payments.

For any complaint, keep the documents (referrals, results, correspondence) and clearly describe the facts, the date, and the people involved. Deadlines and procedures may change — check the institution’s website (for example cmr.ro or dataprotection.ro) before filing.

Key takeaways

• Patient rights are mandatory by law, not optional.
• The most important ones: information, consent, refusal of treatment, a second opinion, confidentiality, access to the record, non-discrimination.
• If they are violated, you have somewhere to complain — the College of Physicians, DSP, ANSPDCP, CAS.

Sources

• Law no. 46/2003 on patient rights
• Order of the Ministry of Health no. 1410/2016 approving the Implementing Rules of the Patient Rights Law no. 46/2003
• Law no. 95/2006 on health reform
• Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and Law no. 190/2018
• College of Physicians of Romania (Colegiul Medicilor din România) — cmr.ro; ANSPDCP — dataprotection.ro