Changes in the Medical Fund. What the money for?

During the committee meeting, the presidential draft was presented by the President's Minister Małgorzata Paprocka. She pointed to two main areas of change: firstly, the Medical Fund will be able to finance genetic tests in the population of patients under 18 years of age with oncological and rare diseases - about 1,300 cases per year. Secondly, it will be able to finance the purchase of recommended vaccines covered by PSO - by name, vaccines against HPV, which the Minister of Health Łukasz Szumowski promised already in 2019 and which are not fully reimbursed in Poland so far. Population vaccinations, first for girls, and then also for boys, were included in the National Oncological Strategy, because the vaccine fully protects against cervical cancer, and also reduces the risk of developing many other HPV-related cancers. However, the Ministry of Health may finance, in accordance with the regulations, only compulsory vaccinations entered into the PSO, and HPV vaccination will not be compulsory.

The Medical Fund will also be able to spend a little more money on innovative therapies, and the financing time will be extended from two to four years.

- I believe that as much money as possible should go to those goals that have a realistic chance of achieving the basic goal of this Fund. And the main goal of this Fund is, in my opinion, that Poland should cease to be a "scrap pl" country. Each of our deputies receives regular e-mails asking for support, providing some kind of collection for treatment abroad or therapies that are not reimbursed in Poland, but are reimbursed by others in countries, said Katarzyna Lubnauer (KO). - Such an increase in health expenditure as it is now has never been during your rule. You are looking for a hole in each project, retorted Józefa Szczurek-Żelazko, recalling the claim made by the PiS president that spending on health increased from PLN 74 billion to almost PLN 160 billion over the past seven years.

- Thank you very much for this Medical Fund, but above all for the funds - over PLN 3 billion - which have recently been allocated to fourteen pediatric hospitals for very large and comprehensive investments. They will certainly have a very good effect, especially for pediatrics, said Katarzyna Sójka, another PiS MP. The problem is that, of course, no money has been sent to hospitals - only promises have been received, and the money will be released (opposition MPs asked about the timeframe) as projects are implemented, which also do not exist yet.