Teaching human rights at the doctoral school in Romania

The doctoral curriculum of the Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Cluj-Napoca comprises the course “European Legislation on Research”. The chapter “Human rights in health ” includes a study on health legislation, which analyses the right to health protection and its components—the recognition within the Romanian legislation with reference to international documents, the respect in the health system and health research. For example, the principle of informed consent in health research is established. The final part of the course highlights the need to correct shortcomings of the legislation, and the importance of professional and human training, by studying and applying the ethics of patients ’ rights. Evaluation of the course shows good results from the doctoral students, and their appreciation for the course and the teacher’s performance. Future plans include continuous updates and improvement of the evaluation system