Medical records destruction — clinics, practices, pharmacies
Medical records must not be kept beyond the 20-year period — and as health data they require the highest security standards when destroyed. Ekotechnika destroys patient files at security level P-5 under DIN 66399 (the level recommended for special categories of data), issues a destruction certificate and collects the documents directly from your facility — public or private. More than twenty clinics, practices and pharmacies have placed their trust in us.
What makes medical records different
- Health data is a special category of data (Article 9 GDPR) — we destroy it at security level P-5, above the standard for ordinary business documents.
- Periods differ within a single patient file — core records 20 years, X-ray images 10 years, referrals 5 years, and the records of children under 2 years of age — 22 years.
- Public and private providers have the same obligations — a hospital, a private clinic and an individual practice account for their records under the same Polish rules.
- When a practice closes or changes hands, the records must be sorted out in a short time — we also collect large, one-off archives.
Retention periods for medical records
The basic periods under the Polish Patients' Rights Act:
| Type of document | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Patient medical records | 20 years |
| Records of children under 2 years of age | 22 years |
| Death caused by injury or poisoning | 30 years |
| X-ray images (kept outside the records) | 10 years |
| Referrals and medical orders | 5 years |
Periods run from the end of the calendar year in which the last entry was made.
Free document retention calendar (PDF)
A complete table of retention periods for more than twenty categories of documents — with the rules for counting the deadlines and an archive clean-up checklist.
Download the calendarWhat we provide
We treat medical records as highest-risk data: lockable containers, transport with no third-party access and destruction at level P-5. We also destroy digital media — hard drives from computers and diagnostic equipment.
- Collection from your premises — we pick up the documents anywhere in Warsaw and the Mazovia region; you do not need to transport or pre-sort anything.
- Destruction to the DIN 66399 standard — security level P-4 as standard, and P-5 for specially protected data.
- Destruction certificate — a document stating the date, scope and method of destruction, ready to present during an inspection by UODO, the Polish data protection authority.
- Secure document containers — under ongoing cooperation we leave lockable containers on site and exchange them at an agreed rhythm.
How it works
- Contact and quote — by phone or e-mail; an approximate volume is enough (the number of binders, bags or linear metres of files).
- Collection — we arrive at the agreed time, weigh the documents and secure them for transport.
- Destruction and certificate — the documents are destroyed in line with DIN 66399 and you receive a destruction certificate for your GDPR records.
Expired patient files taking over the front desk?
Call or write with the approximate number of files or linear metres of records — we will propose a collection date and a destruction method appropriate for medical data. You can also read more about our document destruction service.
Contact: 531 690 670 · bok@niszczeniedokumentow.com