Adam Niedzielski: Without increasing spending, there is no way to reform

- We have a statutory guarantee that outlays on health will increase and will reach 7 percent of GDP in the coming years, by 2027," recalled Adam Niedzielski during his speech at the Law and Justice Party's program convention.

As the head of the health ministry stressed, without increasing outlays, talking about reform would be like "stirring a ladle in the same soup." The minister also said that the ruling party's proposals are made based on the needs of patients. Those, on the other hand, need first and foremost quick access to a doctor, whether we are dealing with a primary care clinic, outpatient specialized care or a hospital ward. The basis, therefore, is to increase the number of staff.

- Growing health awareness makes us want to see a doctor more often and demand for medical services is growing exponentially. Increasing the number of specialists is a priority. We have been doing this consistently since 2016, slowly recovering from the staffing crunch resulting from neglect related to education," said Adam Niedzielski.

The government's prescription for solving staffing problems is to continue to increase the number of students in medical faculties. The quality of education is also an important issue.

- Students learn how to talk to the patient, how to establish a relationship with the patient. We announce competitions for hospitals that improve their infrastructure. These are significant changes in health care," the Health Minister stressed.

The government's goal is also to get doctors to recognize that it is worth working in Poland.

- Wages are rising the most in the health sector, so it pays to work in this sector. We have stopped the process of doctors leaving to work abroad. Our labor market for doctors has become attractive to medics from Belarus and Ukraine," said the head of the health ministry.

Another important need from the patient's point of view, according to the health minister, is the ability to evaluate the services provided to the patient. According to Adam Niedzielski, the patient has the right to say how he was treated and whether the information provided was understandable to him. The quality of the services provided will be significantly affected by the digitization of documentation.

- 17 million Poles use an electronic patient account. We have also introduced e-prescription. Digitalization of health care gives a sense of security to the patient," the minister noted.

- We are not leaving the hospitals alone. We want the medical centers to be in the counties, to provide proper diagnostics and long-term care. We are betting on the digitization of health care. We are moving away from paper - patient information is to be digital," the health ministry head added.