Adam Niedzielski: Funds transferred to health care facilities are at a record high this year

The money is to be used primarily for minimum wage increases (7 billion) and compensation for the effects of inflation (7.5 billion). PLN 700 million will go to support county hospitals.

- Every year, on July 1, we have an indexation of minimum wages. This happens at the rate at which the average salary in the economy increases. This was a guarantee we gave to medical staff, but also to non-medical staff, in order to stem the exodus of personnel abroad. We also wanted to make working in the public system more attractive. It's no secret that a doctor or nurse has a choice of where he or she works. We want as many medics as possible in the public system, because this guarantees the possibility of shortening waiting queues," the health minister said.

Adam Niedzielski stressed that this year the funds transferred to health care facilities will be exceptionally large, as they compensate not only for the increase in minimum wages, but also for inflation, which has recently greatly screwed up the cost of energy and various third-party services provided.

- Compensating for inflation, we would also like to focus on ensuring that district hospitals, which provide basic security for citizens, feel the improvement in finances more. There we have applied solutions such that basic departments such as internal medicine, general surgery and obstetrics will be rewarded in a better way," the health ministry head added.

Meanwhile, as opposition representatives point out, hospital debt has already doubled in recent years ¬- to PLN 20 billion.

- If we talk about total debt, it always increases for entities that have more money at their disposal. By lending to the business, entering into various ventures, we can afford to borrow more," explained Adam Niedzielski.

According to the health minister, a twofold increase in total debt with more than two-and-a-halffold increase in health care financing is nothing to worry about.

- The financial health of hospitals is measured not by debt or total liabilities, but by maturing liabilities that are already due and have not been paid. These, on the other hand, have been fluctuating around PLN 2 billion for several years and have not been increasing. This means that the solvency of hospitals is fairly stable. Seventy-five percent of medical centers have no liabilities due. We are dealing with a situation where a certain group of entities is responsible for the vast majority of debt," noted Adam Niedzielski.