Reforming the structure and organization of hospital treatment is the first step and a tool to achieve the goal. That goal is for the state to take back responsibility for medical services, for the procurement of medical services throughout the country," said Jakub Szulc, vice president of the National Health Fund, during the European Economic Congress in Katowice.
On hospital reform at the European Economic Congress: The state must take responsibility for medical services again
Published April 25, 2025 08:45
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The EEC's health track this year could not miss a panel on hospital reform, which the government has admittedly consigned to the "fourth lap" (or rather, to the freezer, which resounded quite clearly in Katowice). One of the reasons why it's impossible not to talk about changes in hospitality is the money: the money that is waiting to be spent under the KPO (the deadline for settling expenditures - June 2026) and the money that is missing from the system due to the imbalance between revenues and costs.
As Vice President Jakub Szulc said, the changes must concern the entire health care system, not just hospitals. However, due to the fact that hospitals account for half of the payer's budget, there is no doubt that reforms in this segment are crucial. Szulc explained that the changes are intended to lead to a situation in which purchases of services are made in a more targeted or sensible manner. - Today, this is not driven by regulation or health needs maps, but by who, what has historically been contracted and what has historically been managed to be contracted by whom - regardless of whether it makes sense from the perspective of efficiency, quality of management and quality of medical services provided, and finally, but most importantly, the medical needs that are reported in the area, he reminded.
Jakub Szulc also made a rather surprising claim about not limiting hospital services. As he recalled, when, before the elections, among KO's hundred specifics was the announcement to remove limits on hospital treatment, it was recognized that this would be very difficult to implement. - Currently, the National Health Service pays one hundred percent for contracts and non-limited services. Limited drug program services are also paid for at one hundred percent, and limit excesses are paid for at an average of 82 percent nationwide. In Poland, we have de facto unlimited hospital benefits, although whether this is a sensible solution is another matter, he stressed.
Szulc's statement was not left without comment, as representatives of health care providers pointed out that queues for some hospital services, for example, are proof that limits nevertheless still apply, and that the potential of hospitals is greater than the payer's financial capabilities.
