Health Law

6 ECTS credits
150 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 4001590EEW for working students in the 1st semester at a (E) Master - advanced level.

Semester

1st semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Possible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Enrollment Requirements

NOTE: registration for this course is only possible for working students. Day students can register for courses whose code ends with an R. At Inschrijven / studentenadministratie@vub.be you must be registered at the VUB as a working student for the current academic year.

Taught in

Dutch

Partnership Agreement

Under interuniversity agreement for degree program

Faculty

Faculty of Law and Criminology

Department

Private Law

Educational team

Tim Opgenhaffen (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Lecture
124 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

This course introduces students firstly to the basic principles of Belgian health law and secondly goes into capita selecta in more depth. Three sections are thereby covered: [1] the organisation of healthcare, [2] legal relationships in healthcare (including patient rights and liability), and [3] the legal aspects of beginning and ending life.

Each of the sections starts with an introductory module on Canvas. This module covers the basic principles.

Then, within each section, a number of capita selecta are discussed. These are specific themes treated in depth. These themes may change annually, partly in view of current societal developments. In previous academic years, for instance, the following themes were covered: recent developments in the context of euthanasia; the legal aspects of 'big pharma'; coercion in healthcare; anonymous donorship; and the kwaliteitswet. Within the capita selecta, attention is also paid to comparative law and the societal context. In some cases, guest speakers are invited.

The course uses various working formats: lectures, guest lectures, interactive and activating lectures with preparation, learning paths on Canvas, and assignments and presentations by the students.

Course material

Handbook (Required) : Handboek gezondheidsrecht, overdruk studenten VUB, Thierry Vansweevelt; Filip Dewallens, te verschijnen, Intersentia (Antwerpen), 2023
Practical course material (Recommended) : Codex Gezondheidsrecht, Tom Balthazar, Tom Goffin, Steven Lierman, Kristof Van Assche, recentste editie, Kluwer (Mechelen)
Digital course material (Required) : Canvaspagina

Additional info

Classes take place on campus or online (recorded or live).

The course material consists of the course book, the modules on Canvas, lecture notes and/or recordings, powerpoint slides, the literature that was given as preparation for the lecture and the written assignments of the students.

Learning Outcomes

General competencies

The student:

is able to describe and define the basic terms and fundamental concepts of Health law, place them in their legal context and indicate in which legal provisions to find them.
is able to find, analyse, interpret and explain the course topics with the aid of the legal code; the student can explain what has been concluded in these legal rules, why it has been concluded in this manner and which interpretation problems may arise.
is able to place applicable legal rules in a broader legal-historical, -sociological, -economical, -philosophical and -theoretical context.
is able to critically evaluate and detect gaps in the law and comment on these; is able to make suggestions for updating and improving Health law.
is able to independently solve cases regarding Health law based on statutory texts, acquired knowledge and methodology.
is able to independently study topics of Health law and to present the knowledge and insights that he or she acquired to the fellow students.
is able to critically reflect on controversial Health law topics guided bij the principle of unfettered inquiry, and take a position grounded in ethics and in law.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 75% of the final mark.
Other Exam determines 25% of the final mark.

Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Examen Mondeling with a relative weight of 75 which comprises 75% of the final mark.

Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Examen Andere with a relative weight of 25 which comprises 25% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

The exam is oral with written preparation. In the event students failed to pass the grade during the first examination period, the second examination period shall be deemed to be a wholly new exam.
The exam assesses students' knowledge, insight and sense of critique and may include both open questions, questions testing due insight and understanding as well as comparative questions.
Questions can be both practical or theory-oriented.

The use of (non-annotated) legislation is allowed during the exam. Such legislation cannot contain annotations by the student or the publisher. Cross-references (only to other statutory provisions), underlining, highlighting and the use of blank post-its are allowed.
The oral examination determines 75% of the final mark.

Students are required to participate actively during classes, on the basis of class preparations outlined on Canvas. The terms of the required active participation are specified on Canvas. The student may be asked to prepare a written paper and to give a presentation, either in group or not. The modalities of this active participation are further specified in Canvas.
These components determine 25% of the final grade. The results obtained for these components count in the first and second term. It is not possible to repeat these parts in the second term. If the student does not hand in the assignments within the framework of active participation (on time), this will result in a zero mark for these components.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context