- Signals of financial problems have been reaching us for some time, but the last few weeks show that these are no longer speculations, but real and tangible consequences," says Magdalena Kolodziej, president of the We Patients Foundation, about the difficult financial situation at the NFZ. Patients treated under drug programs are in a particularly precarious situation.
The National Health Fund is running out of money. Patients worry about continuity of treatment in drug programs
Published Oct. 17, 2024 14:13
Recall, in early October, Deputy Health Minister Marek Kos admitted that despite an increase of more than PLN 2 billion in the NFZ budget in March 2024, it was not possible to cover all obligations to medical facilities. Hospitals have not received all the money in payment for medical services. The minister said that there is an insufficient amount of funds in the financial plan - 72 billion zlotys were planned for hospital treatment, and now it is 94 billion zlotys.
- Patients clash with department closures, rescheduled appointments - even for another year. We also hear that drug programs are running out of medicines. These situations are very serious and have consequences for specific patients," comments Magdalena Kolodziej, adding that patients receiving innovative treatment under drug programs are in a particularly precarious situation.
- The last few years have been spent discussing what to do to keep patients on treatment for as long as possible. When a drug program came to an end, efforts were made to ensure that the patient would enter the next edition of the program smoothly. All so that there would be no interruptions that lead to a worsening of the condition or exacerbation of the disease. At the moment, doctors are faced with the choice of whether to keep the patient stable, or perhaps allocate the drugs available in limited quantities to patients in severe condition, in whom treatment must be implemented. These choices are really difficult, and before long we will have an influx of patients in a worsened condition who need urgent treatment," predicts Magdalena Kolodziej.
Below is an interview with Magdalena Kolodziej:
