"The global costs associated with the new location will be lower than in the current building, with a similar square footage," assures the Medical Research Agency. This is in response to media reports indicating that the building to which ABM will move in the middle is one of the most expensive locations in Warsaw.
ABM refutes allegations
Published Jan. 11, 2024 08:44
As Gazeta Wyborcza journalists pointed out, the Agency's previously occupied headquarters covers four floors, each with an area of 550 square meters. ABM employs more than 100 people. Gazeta Wyborcza found that a move to Varso Tower is planned for mid-year. It is one of the most expensive places in Warsaw. The Medical Research Agency addressed these reports in a statement.
"It is not true that the Medical Research Agency will incur the same or higher costs associated with leasing space in the new location. We emphatically emphasize that the global costs associated with the new location will be lower than in the current building, with a similar square footage (the new location is a cost-effective building with modern solutions, including reducing energy costs). In addition, in order to reduce the cost of operations, at the request of the Ministry of Health Izabela Leszczyna, we asked the Varso Landlord to reduce the area of the future meterage," the statement reads.
Gazeta Wyborcza journalists also highlighted ABM's funding sources.
"Every January, the National Health Fund transfers 0.3 percent of its revenue to it. This year it is expected to be PLN 460 million. The agency is also expected to receive a record subsidy from the state budget of PLN 280 million," the article said.
ABM clarifies that operating costs are not financed by the National Health Fund. Both the lease and ABM's administrative services are entirely funded by the state budget (subject subsidy).
"The NFZ write-off is transferred only to the implementation of non-commercial clinical trials and medical experiments, which offer innovative therapies to patients. Already today, patients have access to unique forms of treatment, and Polish scientists have become partners in international research projects with a significant impact on the future of medical science," we learn from the statement.
