The aim of the article was to present selected problems of health policy in the context of legislative changes in health care on the example of activities related to the SARS-CoV-2 virus epidemic, as well as to show the scope and pace of changes and their assessment. The first group of issues covers the analysis of the provisions introduced regarding organizational changes in entities providing medical activities, which, from the beginning of the pandemic, changed the scope of inpatient care and developed teleporting activities. The second group consists of changes that overlapped with regulations counteracting SARS-CoV-2 virus infections in the scope of GDPR and medical documentation. The third is an analysis of legal provisions regulating in detail the rights and obligations of medical personnel and patients, which on the one hand modify the legal liability of persons providing services, and on the other, introduce restrictions on access to them.

The article describes four important non-medical areas in the profession of a physician: legal, administrative, economic and logological. These areas are complementary to the core knowledge in all medical professions, particularly of a physician. The aim of the article is to indicate some specific problems faced by a contemporary physician which, despite not being part of medical knowledge, are impossible to avoid.

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The article consists of three parts showing the changes that took place in the health care law in 2021. The main goal was to discuss those legislative changes that, according to the authors, are innovative and in the future will have a significant impact on the shape of the entire health care system in Poland.

The article presents criminal and professional liability that may be born by persons providing healthcare services, in particular doctors and dentists. The Act on the professions of doctor and dentist containing the basic directives for dealing with patients is of key importance from the point of view of the medical profession. Its provisions imply, first of all, doctor’s obligation to pursue his/her profession in accordance with the current state of medical knowledge, using available methods and means. The Act also establishes an obligation to observe the principles of professional ethics and to exercise due diligence in the performance of professional activities. Similar regulations apply to other medical professionals: nurses and midwives, physiotherapists, pharmacists and laboratory diagnosticians. A failure to exercise due diligence by a doctor providing medical services or by another medical professional may constitute grounds for a patient to report a suspected offence or file a complaint with the Screener for Professional Liability. The article discusses in a practical way examples of criminal and professional court rulings.