Legal responsibility of healthcare workers for harm caused to patients’ health

This article discusses the Law on Patients’ Rights and Compensation for Health Damage of the Republic of Lithuania. This article analyses the legal liability of healthcare workers arising from improper actions. It should be noted that the legal liability of healthcare workers in Lithuania is criminal, civil and disciplinary. However, it has not yet been clearly established how the liability applies specifically to hospitals and in which cases medical staff must compensate for damage caused to medical institutions or whether several forms of liability may be applied to medical staff. The purpose of the article is to analyse the responsibility of healthcare workers for harm caused to the health of patients. To achieve this aim, an analysis of the scientific literature and legal acts, as well as the case study of court practice, was applied. The study has shown that the compensation for damage suffered by patients in Lithuania is poorly regulated. There is a lack of deontological expertise in Lithuania, which would be carried out by independent experts from other countries.