RSU Holds First Conference on Medical Law

The Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) Faculty of Law is organising a conference on medical law on 18 June. It will be a highly interdisciplinary scientific-practical event for law and medicine professionals. Globally, medical law is a relatively new, but rapidly evolving branch of law. It covers norms and elements of civil law, criminal law, international law and sub-disciplines of other legal sciences. RSU is taking advantage of its strengths in its medical and legal study directions to develop this promising field.

‘The aim of the conference is to raise national and international issues and current challenges in the field of medical law and to discuss possible solutions together with professionals like doctors, lawyers and other experts,’ explains Karina Palkova, Asst. Prof. at the RSU Faculty of Law, and Head of the Law doctoral study programme, who is the moderator and organiser of the conference. According to Asst. Prof. Palkova, medical law has already emerged as one of the specialties of the RSU Faculty of Law. This is therefore an important event, since there is a lack of original research in this new field. ‘By organising a conference dedicated to topical issues in medical law on this scale, the university is establishing a new tradition. It is hoped that the conference will provide Latvian medical staff and lawyers with an opportunity to define the problems of the field and find solutions together,’ says Palkova.

The conference will be opened by RSU Rector Prof. Aigars Pētersons, while the President of the European Association of Health Law, Prof. Karl Harald Søvig, will give a presentation on the European Union's experience in the field of medical law.

The President of the Latvian Medical Association and general practitioner Ilze Aizsilniece and attorney-at-law Ilze Vilka will present the lecture "How safely can doctors in Latvia make decisions and work?", while Uppsala University lecturer, scientific editor of the commentary on medical law and patients' rights law dr. iur. Santa Slokenberga, PhD, Professor of law and legal jurisprudence, will give an outline of the topic of the quality of medical treatment. 

Laura Šāberte, RSU lecturer and the Head of Legal Department at the Latvian Health Inspectorate, and Dace Tarasova, scientific degree candidate in the Law doctoral study programme and Head of the Department of Medical Treatment Risk Fund, will develop the issue of the rights of medical practitioners to express their religious beliefs in an employment relationship, and Mg. iur. Eduards Broks, Head of Legal Department of Riga East Clinical University Hospital, will consider the legal aspects of patient prioritisation at the end of the conference.

Konferences programma un reģistrācija (līdz 13. jūnijam)