New standards of perinatal care and the pandemic – selected legal issues

Abstract

The time of pregnancy and childbirth is an unforgettable period in life of every woman. Apart from great joy, this time is also associated with a great sense of uncertainty – what will my delivery look like? Will I be able to give birth naturally? Will my partner be able to accompany me during the childbirth? Will I be given anesthesia? Will I have postnatal depression? Which hospital should I choose to have the greatest impact on my childbirth? The answer to at least some of these questions was suppose to come from the introduction of the ordinance of the Minister of Health of 16 August 2018 on the organizational standard of perinatal care. The updated standards include pregnancy provisions, relief of labor pain or the rules of organization of staff work in cases of difficult births.Risk control of postpartum depression has also been introduced and a strong emphasis has been placed on supporting expectant mothers in lactation. However, just over a year after the regulations came into force, an unforeseen situation occurred – a pandemic broke out. The paper aims to present the consequences of introducing new standards of perinatal care and the impact of the pandemic on them.