Parliamentary Health Committee on ABM activities. The ministry and the NIK evaluate negatively, ABM defends itself

The negative performance evaluation was one of the reasons, the dismissal of ABM CEO Radoslaw Sierpinski, in addition to doubts about the qualification documents.

- The agency has very large financial resources by Polish standards. This should result in better projects and better implementation of these projects. The Agency does not conduct enough of its own research as was assumed at the beginning of its existence," the deputy health minister said.

As Wojciech Konieczny added, the ministry's doubts are therefore raised by the employment level of 140 people, while it was originally assumed that 100 people would work at ABM.

- Undoubtedly, the agency faces the need to make changes. The Ministry of Health does not directly direct the agency. There is an appointed Council, whose decisions are binding. As for personnel matters, we are in the process of preparing a competition procedure. We hope that ABM's activities will begin to correspond to the original objectives, and that the very large sums of money that go to the agency will be used more effectively," the deputy health minister indicated.

The chairman of the Supreme Audit Institution also outlined a number of concerns raised by the audit of ABM's operations.

- We perceive serious threats to the effective operation of the agency, as it does not fully provide the organizational conditions for proper planning and funding of research activities, and its previous activity in conducting its own research was unfortunately insufficient," said Marian Banaś.

According to the NIK, the system of oversight of research projects was not fully effective. The control mechanisms established did not reduce the risk of double funding of identical research projects, as they were based on a unilateral declaration by the applicant for funding. Meanwhile, not only employment, but also the salary of the ABM president was increasing, first by more than 58 percent, to PLN 38,000, and then to PLN 47,000.

ABM Deputy CEO Rafal Staszewski addressed the allegations made by both the Health Ministry and the NIK. He stressed that the majority, 85 percent, of the ongoing projects are non-commercial, with public entities as the main partners. The target number of people to participate in clinical trials and medical experiments in the contracts signed by ABM is 60,000 patients. As an example of successful efforts, he cited, among other things, good results in the treatment of chronic lymphoblastic leukemia in a group of more than 500 pediatric patients unresponsive to the standard treatment model.