Patients' rights and foster care: Czech president signs new amendments into law

President Petr Pavel signed several bills into law Tuesday, including an amendment to the insolvency law that reduces the debt relief period, a bill to help increase the number of foster parents, and an amendment raising fines for failure to register drugs, according to the website of the Presidential Office.

Under the insolvency amendment, the debt relief period for all debtors will be reduced from the current five years to three, effective August.

Proponents of this change say that extremely indebted people will be able to escape the debt trap faster and return to the legal economy. At the same time, critics argue that the change will disproportionately worsen the position of creditors.

Debt relief is one option for dealing with bankruptcy. The changes to the insolvency law are based on a European directive, but it requires three years of debt relief only for entrepreneurs. The Czech government has committed to its program to extend it to consumers as well.

The Presidential Office also reports that Pavel signed an amendment that would simplify the process of assessing those interested in fostering children and regulate the conditions for organizations that help foster parents. This is related to the approaching abolition of infant homes for the youngest children.

Under the amendment, the “accompanying organizations” will receive higher state contributions starting in January. The contributions for long-term foster parents will rise from the current CZK 59,400 per year to CZK 66,000, and for temporary foster parents to CZK 72,000. An additional CKZ 18,000 will be paid if the long-term or temporary foster parent cares for three or more children or at least one child with a severe disability.

Under a government amendment on medicines, which Pavel also signed, pharmacies will face a fine of up to CZK 20 million instead of the current CZK 2 million and a maximum two-year ban on their activities for failing to register medicines. This tightening measure will make the banned export of medicines abroad more difficult. The amendment will come into force 15 days after it is published in the Collection of Laws.

Furthermore, Pavel signed amendments to introduce legal rules for maintaining medical records in digital form and the patient’s right to obtain a free first copy of the medical record or an extract from it. Additionally, a new information system will be created to improve the administration of specialized and advanced training for health professionals.

Another amendment signed by the president will simplify the administration's involvement in organizing humanitarian or other public fundraising campaigns. Under the bill, the operators of these public collections will not have to submit confirmation that they have no tax or health and social insurance fee arrears. The Interior Ministry argues that proving these facts considerably prolongs the process of issuing certificates for public fundraising.

An amendment to the General Inspection of Security Corps (GIBS), signed by Pavel, will update the rules for the GIBS procedures in accordance with the law on police and remove ambiguities and illogical formulations from the current law, effective next year. The amendment also introduces rules for the GIBS civil employees. It aims to clarify which documents the inspection will provide to the Chamber of Deputies.

Finally, Pavel signed an amendment to bring digitization, unification of terminology, and simplification of administration in relation to churches, effective next year. The bill will allow for the electronic obtainment of officially certified extracts from the register of churches and religious societies and other church-related registers. According to the government, this is in line with the trend of digitalizing public administration.