Request for copies of a medical file (Greece)

Published byDocMuse

The request by which a patient in Greece asks a hospital, clinic or doctor for copies of their medical file — history, discharge note, tests, imaging — under art. 14 of Law 3418/2005, the Greek Code of Medical Ethics, and art. 15 of the General Data Protection Regulation. It names the department and the period of treatment, the documents wanted and how to receive them. The first copy is free, as the Greek Data Protection Authority also points out, and the provider answers without delay, as a rule within a month.

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Common questions

Is a patient in Greece entitled to copies of their medical file, and at what cost?

Yes. Art. 14 of Law 3418/2005 gives the patient access to their medical records and the right to copies, and art. 15 of the General Data Protection Regulation a right to a copy of their data. The first copy is free; for further copies the provider may charge a reasonable fee based on administrative costs. The answer comes without delay, as a rule within a month; an extension needs reasons.

Can someone else ask for a patient's medical file in Greece?

While the patient is alive, someone else needs the patient's authorisation; the gov.gr authorisation (exousiodotisi) is issued free and every public body must accept it. After death, the patient's heirs up to the fourth degree of kinship have access (art. 14 of Law 3418/2005); they apply in their own name and prove the relationship and the death. This request is written for a patient asking for their own file.

Where can a patient turn if a Greek hospital will not hand over copies of the file?

To the Hellenic Data Protection Authority, with a complaint about a breach of the right of access (art. 77 of the Regulation), attaching the request and proof that it was filed. In a hospital of the national health system (ESY), the patient can also complain to the hospital's patients' rights office (art. 60 of Law 4368/2016). That is why the request is best filed against a registration number.