- We are targeting January 1, 2024, but we are trying on an earlier introduction of this program. We are analyzing an option involving the last quarter of this year," said Health Minister Adam Niedzielski, when asked on the Guest of News program about the free drug program for children under 18 and people 65 and older.
Adam Niedzielski: We want to double the number of preparations available free of charge to seniors
Published May 22, 2023 08:35
Fot. Wojciech Górski
The minister assured that there is money to implement this program. The guarantee is a systematic increase in spending on the health care system.
- It will cost PLN 1.5-2 billion. These are serious funds, but ones that will be available within the health budget," said Adam Niedzielski.
As the head of the Health Ministry reminded, there are about 2,000 items in the current program of free medicines for people over the age of 75.
- This is a range of medicines that has been selected for seniors' conditions and chronic diseases affecting the elderly. The complete list of reimbursable drugs is about 4,000 items. What we are working on now is an option to include in the program of free drugs for seniors just such a number of preparations," the Health Minister pointed out.
The free medication program for people over the age of 75 has already benefited 4 million retirees. About 400 million packages of medicines have been dispensed to patients. The annual cost of implementing the program is about 1 billion zlotys.
- Seniors are the population that gets sick the most. This is the group where chronic diseases that require constant medication occur. These individuals are most in need of support," added Adam Niedzielski.
In turn, the list of drugs to be available free of charge in the pediatric group will include antibiotics.
- We have some arguments that say that it is necessary to keep an eye on the overuse of antibiotics, because this leads to the evolution of drug-resistant bacteria," assured the head of the health ministry.
