What does the Young Patient Package look like?

The Young Patient Package is intended to give young patients the right to choose. Let them decide voluntarily whether they want to seek help from a doctor, specifically from three groups of specialists, in the presence of a parent or on their own. The proposals only concern public health care.

The GrowSPACE Foundation Package includes the following elements:

1) The first point concerns mental health professionals. We want young people aged 15 and over to be able to consult psychologists, therapists and psychiatrists on their own.

2) The second point concerns reproductive health. We want young girls from the age of 15 to have the opportunity to consult a gynecologist on their own and perform basic examinations. It is also important to guarantee confidentiality in the office.

3) The third point focuses on the simplest health problems - free access to pediatric care. There are no obstacles for a young person from the age of 15 to go to a pediatrician on their own if they have a cold, stomach or throat pain, or come for a blood test, for example. This point also includes the health of young men (e.g. examination of intimate areas) and access to optional vaccinations (e.g. against HPV).

An additional issue of the proposal is to change the age of cumulative consent (parent + young person). From the age of 13, a child obtains the so-called limited legal capacity. For example, from the age of 13, a young person can consent to the processing of their data. The package proposes lowering the age of cumulative consent to the age range of 13-15. Then, under the supervision of his parent and specialist, the young patient has a sense of agency and co-responsibility for his health. Please note that in other European countries, e.g. Belgium, cumulative consent begins at the age of 12. In Germany, a young patient is allowed to speak from the age of 14.

- Health care is a key element of the system that has required corrective actions for years. As the GrowSPACE Foundation, we want to look at this process also from the perspective of young people. Unfortunately, there are situations when, before going to a specialist, a young person must first conduct a campaign to convince his or her parent that he or she is really facing a serious problem (e.g. the nature of mental health). - Says Dominik Kuc, Member of the Management Board of the GrowSPACE Foundation. - We hear from some young people that they face a lack of understanding from their parents. Some guardians claim that teenagers exaggerate or even block help for fear of the reaction of those around them. Current regulations regarding teenage patients complicate the lives of both children and their parents. This is all because young people have almost no access to independently use NFZ services. We function in a fossilized system full of contradictions. 15-year-olds can legally have sexual intercourse, but their parents must consent to medical consultations, tests or treatment. It is high time to recognize the agency of young people. That is why, as the GrowSPACE Foundation, we want to offer the Young Patient Package.