An ambulance in every municipality is a good idea?

The draft law prepared at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration on civil protection and disaster management, which provides for the introduction of the solution known as "an ambulance in every municipality," has not yet been adopted by the government, but the objections formulated during inter-ministerial consultations by the Health Ministry show that these solutions could negatively affect the operation of emergency medical services. On Wednesday, April 12, the Senate Health Committee heard information from the Health Minister on the subject. The senators also invited representatives of paramedics to the meeting - and the discussion showed that there was definitely no shortage of topics not only to discuss, but also to reflect on whether the government should take these solutions.

- We want to create an entire corps of paramedics rooted in the field, based on the resources of fire departments, and in fact volunteer fire departments. We want to buy in the perspective of a few years about. 2.8 thousand ambulances, so that every Polish municipality would have not only an ambulance equipped appropriately for the situation, but also trained paramedics," Mariusz Kaminski, head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, announced last summer. Experts say that this is a duplication of the PRM system: an unreasonable action due to the enormous costs, but also potentially dangerous due to the dilution of responsibility and also raising legal questions, such as the administration of medicines or the undertaking of activities reserved for rescuers. Doubts were raised during the consultation process by the Ombudsman and the Patient Ombudsman, among others, and critical opinions were also included in comments submitted by the Health Ministry.

- We know that the Ministry of Health did not participate in the process of drafting the law, but you gave your opinion as part of the departmental arrangements. We have doubts of a medical nature, which it is up to the Health Ministry to resolve," encouraged Deputy Minister Kraska to have an open discussion, chairwoman of the Senate Health Committee Beata Małecka-Lbiera said.

The deputy health minister officially defended the idea of a party colleague in the government. "An ambulance in every municipality," the deputy health minister commanded, is intended to be a support system for the State Emergency Medical Service, while there is no concern that it will replace it. - We know that a medical rescue team is not always available, so teams in fire stations will serve as auxiliaries," pointed out Waldemar Kraska. - Auxiliary? But there will be twice as many of these ambulances in the system! - Małecka-Libera asked. Kraska himself informed senators moments earlier that there are 1,610 ambulances in the PRM system.

Beata Małecka-Libera also asked who in the teams provided for in the draft will prescribe and administer the drugs, and who will buy them. - I don't know if this is in the bill. It's not my law," stated Deputy Minister Kraska. And he suggested that a representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs be invited to the committee meeting, so the committee chairwoman decided to adjourn the meeting and invite a representative of the ministry responsible for the bill.