- We all have been, are or will be patients. I would like to wish us all that the health care system is changing for the better. I think this is happening and the most important thing is consistency and determination in implementing changes," said Patient Ombudsman Bartlomiej Chmielowiec at the opening of the 7th Patient Empowerment Congress. This year's edition was held under the theme "Patient, Partner, Future."
The 7th Patient Empowerment Congress is behind us
Published April 27, 2023 09:53
Fot. Igor Kohutnicki
The Patient Empowerment Congress is an initiative to make the voice of patients even more audible. During the two-day event, representatives of patient organizations, clinicians and ministers discussed the key challenges of increasing access to services, modern therapies or coordinated care models.
One of the most significant changes taking place in the health care system is the move toward patient empowerment.
- We have come a long way from the emergence of the idea of putting the patient at the center, through the enactment of the Law on Patients' Rights and Patients' Ombudsman 15 years ago, to where we are now. Patient organizations can best confirm that the health care system is indeed increasingly putting the patient at the center. The role of organizations in co-determining what the health care system should look like is growing," said Bartlomiej Chmielowiec during the opening debate at the congress.
According to Stanislaw Maćkowiak, president of the Federation of Polish Patients, the change that has taken place in the perception of the role of patients in the system over the past 15 years is enormous.
- There is already a different mindset. The administration sees the need, on its part, to organize contact with patient organizations and listen to what they have to say. We are at the stage where organizations are being listened to. There is still a way to go before they participate in finding solutions and making decisions. Today, by taking the time to discuss, we don't see results in the form of decisions made," stressed Stanislaw Maćkowiak.
The first day of the congress featured six debates on topics including personalized medicine, equality in quality of life, treatment and e-health, as well as challenges facing oncology or neurology. The second day of the congress was devoted entirely to neurological patient pathways. Debates revolved around the problems of people struggling with migraine, multiple sclerosis or rare diseases, among others.
Broadcasts from each day of the congress can be viewed here:
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