President Andrzej Duda vetoes bill on combating pseudomedicine
The President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, has decided to refuse to sign a new bill aimed at combating medical misinformation. The draft legislation proposed granting the Patient Ombudsman new powers, which would allow for more effective responses to the actions of individuals promoting unverified and dangerous treatment methods.
The goal of the proposed regulations was to limit the phenomenon of so-called pseudomedicine. The Patient Ombudsman was to be given tools to detect and block practices that mislead patients more quickly. Many people feared that dishonest sellers were offering ineffective supplements or therapies that could threaten the health or even the lives of patients.
The president's decision means that the bill will not enter into force in its current form. The Chancellery of the President indicated that while fighting misinformation is important, the proposed solutions raised constitutional concerns. The president concluded that the new powers for the official could interfere too heavily with freedom of speech and the freedom to conduct business.
The matter has sparked a discussion in Polish society. On one hand, medical circles emphasize that the lack of regulation makes it difficult to protect patients from fraudsters. On the other hand, opponents of the bill point to the need to maintain a balance between health security and civil rights.
At this moment, it is unknown whether the government will prepare a new draft bill on the matter. However, experts note that the problem of pseudomedicine remains current and requires clear legal rules that would protect people seeking help for illness from dangerous practices.