Improving the norms of the law “On the fundamentals of protecting the health of citizens”

Deputies of the Committee on Social Policy and Health at their meeting in the second reading discussed the draft law on amendments and additions to the PMR Law “On the Fundamentals of citizens' health protecting”. The legislative initiative of the Government proposes to clarify the concept of “health” in the relevant law and to prescribe in it the criteria for the availability and quality of medical care. The executive body proposed introducing a new term into the law – “telemedicine technologies”.

Telemedicine technologies are information technologies that provide remote interaction between doctors among themselves or with patients. Medical professionals using telemedicine technologies can conduct online consultations and remotely monitor the health status of their patients. Telemedicine allows doctors from around the world to hold consultations via videoconferencing to exchange information for the purpose of diagnosing, treating and preventing various diseases and injuries.

The use of telemedicine technologies in the remote interaction of medical workers with each other is actively used in world medical practice today.

The authors of the law-in-draft noted in the explanatory note that this practice is not something new for Pridnestrovian doctors despite the fact that it is only now being proposed to consolidate the term “telemedicine technologies” in the legislation of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. The Order of the Ministry of Health of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic No. 978 “On the organization of a multidisciplinary council in the field of oncology when providing medical care to the adult population of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic” was approved in 2021. Specialists from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Moldova take part in the work of this consultation along with Pridnestrovian doctors. The interaction of medical workers occurs, among other things, using video communication methods and the global Internet.

When preparing the law-in-draft for the second reading, amendments were developed to it. Thus, the Committee on Social Policy and Health, taking into account the amendments of the Government of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, proposed to enshrine in law the concept and legal basis for the provision of palliative medical care. It is a set of measures carried out to improve the quality of life of terminally ill citizens and aimed at alleviating pain and other severe manifestations of the disease. This complex includes not only medical interventions and care, but also psychological assistance. The Regulations on the organization of palliative medical care, including the procedure for interaction between medical organizations, social service organizations and other organizations, will be approved by the Government of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, according to the text of the amendment.

The relevant parliamentary Committee proposes in the law to clarify the features of medical care provided using telemedicine technologies. For example, the law will stipulate that remote monitoring of a patient’s health status is prescribed by the attending physician after an in-person appointment – examination or consultation. Online consultations between a patient and a medical professional can be carried out for the purpose of prevention, collecting and analyzing patient complaints, assessing the effectiveness of diagnostic and treatment measures, monitoring the patient’s health status, or making a decision on the need for an in-person appointment. It is proposed to include in the law requirements for maintaining medical confidentiality when providing medical care when using telemedicine technologies and for compliance with Pridnestrovian legislation in the field of personal data.

The law-in-draft on amendments and additions to the Law of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic “On the Fundamentals of Protecting the Health of Citizens” will be included in the agenda of one of the next plenary meetings for consideration in the second final reading.