RESEARCH ARTICLE
The Deposit of Patients' Valuables. The Fragmentary Nature of Polish Law in the Light of French Law
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Faculty of Law and Administration
Kazimierz Pułaski University in Radom
Publication date: 2026-10-26
Corresponding author
Tomasz Dąbrowski
Wydział Prawa i Administracji Uniwersytet Radomski im. Kazimierza Pułaskiego
PPM 2026;8(2):113-142
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ABSTRACT
This article examines the patient’s right to store valuables in a deposit as an element of the patient rights protection system in Poland, pointing to the fragmentary nature of the existing regulations and the lack of full normative coherence. The legal basis for this right is provided by Article 39 of the Act on Patient Rights and the Patient Rights Ombudsman, as well as the 2009 Regulation of the Minister of Health, which set out basic organizational and documentation standards. These provisions, however, do not comprehensively regulate key issues such as the definition of valuables, the principles governing the liability of medical entities, or the procedures for handling deposited property after the patient’s death.
The article includes a comparative analysis of the solutions adopted in French law and formulates de lege ferenda proposals aimed at strengthening the protection of patients’ property and increasing legal certainty in the operation of deposit systems within medical entities. The right to store valuables in a deposit is firmly grounded in the constitutional protection of human dignity, property rights, and the right to health care. Its importance continues to grow in light of the increasing value of patients’ personal belongings and the extending duration of hospital stays.