3.Right to participate in policy-making in the area of health
Citizens have the right to participate in the definition, implementation and evaluation of public policies relating to the protection of health care rights, on the basis of the following principles:
- The principle of bilateral communication with regard to agenda setting, or, in other words, the ongoing exchange of information among citizens and institutions in the definition of the agenda;
- The principle of consultation in the two phases of policy planning and decision, with the obligation on the part of institutions to listen to the proposals of citizens’ organisations, to give feedback on these proposals, to consult them before taking each decision, and to justify their decisions if they differ from the opinions expressed;
- The principle of partnership in implementation activities, which means that all partners (citizens, institutions and other private or corporate partners) are fully responsible and operate with equal dignity;
- The principle of shared evaluation, which implies that the outcomes of the activities of the civic organisations ought to be considered as tools for evaluating public policies.
