The selection of the head of the Medical Center for Postgraduate Education is to be made by a panel of experts, indicated by the Minister of Health, and not by the Electoral College - such a change results from the draft amendment to the Law on CMKP, which is already out for consultation. The idea raises controversy. There is talk of an attack on the independence and quality of education.
Ministry of Health to take control of CMKP? Outrage in the community
Published Oct. 18, 2024 09:02
"We view reports of the Health Minister's plans to take control of the Medical Center for Postgraduate Education with great concern as an attempt to politically subordinate an independent organization. We are concerned that central control, introduced in the case of an entity that performs many important functions in the system of postgraduate education of widely understood medical personnel, may have negative consequences for the quality of postgraduate education," Sebastian Goncerz, chairman of the OZZL Residents' Agreement, writes in a letter to Health Minister Izabela Leszczyna.
Sebastian Goncerz recalls that less than a year ago, the then Minister of Education and Science Przemyslaw Czarnek already tried to take control of the Polish Accreditation Commission.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has issued a clarification on the amendment to the CMKP law, indicating that the planned change in the way the director of the Medical Center for Postgraduate Education is elected is due to the need for the Health Minister to regain control over the CMKP's activities. The ministry indicates that the current CMKP director, Piotr Kryst, MD, PhD, will be able to enter a competition for the position, so the proposed law does not prejudge his dismissal from the post.
"In doing so, it should be emphasized that CMKP is not one of the many universities providing training in the medical profession area. In fact, CMKP does not provide and has never provided pre-graduate education. The primary purpose of CMKP's existence is to perform a number of important functions in the system of postgraduate education for medical personnel in the broadest sense. It is through the director of the CMKP that the Minister of Health supervises the conduct of specialty training for doctors, dentists, pharmacists, laboratory diagnosticians, physiotherapists and in fields applicable to health care," the explanation reads.
Such justification does not sit well with the chairman of the Residents' Agreement. Sebastian Goncerz points out that the argument about "regaining control" of the institution does not satisfactorily explain the proposed changes, and fills us with even more concern about the future of the quality of postgraduate education.
"Only the political independence and autonomy of the CMKP ensures its objectivity and transparency. We call for the withdrawal of the changes contained in the amendments to the law on the Medical Center for Postgraduate Education and other laws aimed at taking control of auditing units," he concludes in a letter to Izabela Leszczyna.
