The Supreme Pharmaceutical Council is ineffective

At a press conference on August 9, 2022, Deputy Minister of Health Maciej Miłkowski announced that work was underway to increase retail and wholesale margins in pharmacies and pharmaceutical wholesalers. Moreover, the ministry intends to introduce financing of pharmacies' roster.

Margins

The deputy minister stated, inter alia: "We can see that the last period related to the increase in prices did not spare pharmacies. Therefore, we plan to change the margins paid for pharmacies, which have not changed since 2012. During that period they were very much reduced and from that point on, there was a percentage margin that decreased based on the price of the drug. We agreed that these margins would be increased. "

Unfortunately, this is only a verbal declaration - without giving details. Words, words, words - and where are the deeds? Since the entry into force of the drug reimbursement act, similar information has been provided many times by successive health ministers. Nothing has changed in ten years!

The President of the Polish Bar Council said that "when it comes to margins it is a very good declaration, information from the ministry that changes in this area will be made in the near future."

Unfortunately, the President of the Polish Bar Council made a senseless overinterpretation because the phrase "in the near future" was not included in the deputy minister's statement. Praising the health minister for saying that he will do something with public money - with our taxes - is the same as praising an ATM because he has withdrawn our money.

On-call

The deputy minister said that "night, holiday, Saturday and Sunday work hours in poviats up to 40,000 inhabitants will be financed by the National Health Fund. These provisions were changed at the request of the Joint Government and Local Government Committee. A positive opinion was issued in this regard. All the formal rules that blocked us are now unblocked and will be forwarded to the next stages of the procedure. "

The President of the Polish Bar Council stated that "also the declaration of the Minister of Health in the area of ​​on-call duty is a good change, we have been waiting for a change in regulations in this regard for 20 years."

First, "good change" - how do we know it? Secondly, "we have been waiting for 20 years" - passive waiting is far too little because you have to: request, demand, push, and finally demand because from the minister you can hear that if you wait so long, keep it a few more years.

Effectiveness

On August 18, 2022, the Minister of Health signed a contract worth PLN 112 million with the President of the Supreme Chamber of Nurses and Midwives under the Knowledge Education Development Program. The contract covers the postgraduate training of nurses in 10 different qualification and specialist courses.

We have another proof of how far the Supreme Pharmaceutical Council (NRA) is from the level of the Supreme Chamber of Nurses and Midwives (NIPiP). Since it is never too late to learn, the NRA should go to the National Labor and Social Policy for tutoring on the effectiveness of the highest authorities of the professional self-government.

MSc farm. Walenty Zajdel