Review of the Events of the Year 2022: July-September

JULY

The Cardiac Surgery Clinic of the University Clinical Center of the Medical University of Warsaw has obtained the consent of the Ministry of Health to perform heart and lung transplantation operations. Not only separate heart and lung transplants are planned, but also multi-organ transplants: simultaneous heart and lung transplants, heart and liver transplants, heart and kidney transplants. Earlier, the UCK WUM received a positive recommendation from the National Transplantation Council. Lung transplants from living donors are also planned, which gives particularly good results in pediatric patients.

At the meeting of the Parliamentary Health Committee, Deputy Minister of Health Waldemar Kraska presented a report on the implementation of the National Oncology Strategy for 2021. He reminded that NSO is a program that the government has provided with adequate funding - over the decade 2020-2030 it will be over PLN 5 billion. The HPV vaccine has been introduced to the reimbursement system and a draft of legislative solutions has been prepared, allowing for the commencement of vaccination against the human papilloma virus (HPV) - emphasized Waldemar Kraska. The vaccine has been reimbursed since November, and - as Kraska assured - "work is underway to include it in the vaccination calendar as a free vaccine. So far, this demand has not yet been fulfilled.

AUGUST

The Central Statistical Office has published a signal information on health expenditures. According to preliminary estimates, current expenditure on health care in 2021 amounted to PLN 172.9 billion and was higher than in 2020 by approximately PLN 21 billion. Expenditure increases have been observed in both public and private spending. Public current expenditure on health care amounted to PLN 125.5 billion in 2021 and was PLN 15.7 billion higher than in 2020. Also, current private expenditure increased by PLN 1.1 billion and amounted to PLN 13 in 202113, PLN 6 billion.

Poland has received permission from the European Commission (EC) to launch a cross-border e-prescription exchange service with other Member States. This new functionality will enable foreign patients to fill e-prescriptions in a Polish pharmacy, and Polish patients abroad. The Ministry of Health emphasizes that Poland is one of the first EU countries ready to launch a cross-border e-prescription.

The draft regulation of the Minister of Health on the pilot program of care for the beneficiary as part of the cardiological network has been submitted for public consultation. The pilot project of the National Cardiology Network will be extended to include another five voivodships, as announced. Mazowieckie will be joined by the following voivodships: Łódzkie, Małopolskie, Pomorskie, Śląskie, Wielkopolskie.

SEPTEMBER

Patients suffering from the 20 most lethal cancers in Poland have full access to only 29 out of 136 recommended therapies. Another 46 cancer drugs are reimbursed with limitations. According to the data contained on the Onkoindex website, the National Health Fund will not pay for treatment with the remaining ones. The authors of the report examined how many therapies recommended by the European Society of Clinical Oncology can be used free of charge by Polish patients. It turned out that there is a gap between us and international guidelines, which we are not actually closing

Doctors from the Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Interior and Administration in Warsaw performed the first kidney transplant in Poland using the Da Vinci robot. So far, the device has been used by the Department of Gastroenterological Surgery and Transplantology in the operations of collecting a kidney from a living donor. The operation was performed by a team of doctors led by prof. Brand Durlik. The organ for transplantation was taken from the recipient's wife.

- Men have a problem with talking about their health, said Deputy Minister of Health Piotr Bromber during the 1st Men's Health Congress. The event was an opportunity to talk about health prevention, civilization diseases or issues related to the male psyche, sexuality and the problem of addictions. During the Men's Health Congress, topics such as issues related to emotions and psyche, sexuality or addictions. There were also talks about oncological and hematological diseases, treatment of prostate cancer or attitudes that lead to maintaining a balance between personal and professional life.