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Palliative care - changes needed

MedExpress Team

Medexpress

Published Nov. 29, 2023 12:37

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This year, the Forum of Palliative Medicine, organized by the Polish Society of Palliative Medicine, was held for the 8th time. During the debate, experts discussed the abolition of capping of palliative and hospice care services, the situation of hospices run by non-governmental organizations, the problems of palliative care in rural areas, the activities of perinatal hospices, as well as the needs of children's hospices and the problems reported by patients regarding palliative care. Also raised was the problem, which urgently needs to be resolved, of the discharge of reimbursable drugs for seniors and children under 18 by palliative care doctors and nurses.

The Forum was opened by Aleksandra Ciałkowska-Rysz, MD, PhD - President of the Polish Association of Palliative Medicine, Professor of the Department of Palliative Medicine at the Department of Oncology, Medical University of Lodz, President of the Lodz Hospice Association, who stressed that -Inrecent years, an increase in the number of entities providing palliative care services has been observed. Initially, the increase was in home care units, but over the past three years the number of inpatient care units has also increased. As of December 20 2022, there were 224 inpatient palliative care units (191 in 2019).. This increase was possible thanks to the possibility of using EU funds to build palliative care infrastructure, which NGOs could also use. However, one should be aware that about 50% of these entities are small units, i.e. with 15-20 beds. Therefore, although the availability of inpatient services has definitely improved, unfortunately, there are large differences between provinces; there are still several provinces that have not reached the minimum of 100 beds per 1 million inhabitants recommended by the European Palliative Care Association, but there are provinces where this value has been significantly exceeded.

Tomasz Dzierżanowski, M.D., Ph. about health Tomasz Dzierżanowski - vice president of the Polish Society of Palliative Medicine, head of the Department of Palliative Medicine at the Warsaw University of Medical Sciences, medical director of Caritas of the Warsaw-Praga Diocese answered the question of whether there is a chance to abolish the limitation of palliative and hospice care services, which would change the situation of facilities in this area of care and contribute to the creation of new facilities? - The demand to abolish the capping of palliative care services was made within the framework of the work of the Strategy Team for the Development of Palliative and Hospice Care under the Minister of Health. The incumbent Minister Waldemar Kraska assured its implementation on condition that clear eligibility criteria for palliative care were defined, which has been refined. Unlimited services is also the slogan of the new majority camp in the Sejm. The media have also been actively involved in publicizing the problem of limits on palliative care admissions, so during an interview with TVN Facts, I proposed that non-limiting services in palliative care should be implemented as early as January 1, 2024. There is a real chance for such implementation. On behalf of the Polish Society of Palliative Medicine, I will endeavor to meet with the newly appointed Minister of Health shortly after he takes office.

The situation is parti...

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