Budget technocrats should sometimes go to the county public hospital

- When I hear about the need for reform to reduce funding in health care I wonder: Is there a pilot flying with us? How can spending be cut in the most important area on which the lives and health of Poles depend? I can't understand it," says Michal Bulsa, president of the Regional Medical Council in Szczecin.

"If it was bad in 2024, how will it be in 2025?"

The exchange of letters between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance, which was made public in the media last week, is causing great anxiety in the health sector. The National Health Fund's financial plan for 2025 has still not been approved, which is an absolutely unprecedented situation. The budgets of hospitals, as well as, for example, clinics with contracts with the National Health Fund, depend on this plan. The approval of financial plans will largely affect what treatment patients can count on and how quickly.

- To say that the situation is worrisome is like saying nothing. It is unacceptable for the Finance Minister to block the adoption of the National Health Fund plan by pressuring the Health Ministry. Nothing is more important than the health of Poles, and it is already drastically underfunded. If it was bad in 2024, how will it be in 2025? We urge the Finance Minister to urgently adopt the budget, and in doing so, point out that saving on health is something that should never happen. According to Eurostat, we allocate much less than the EU average which is about 10-11% of GDP," says Michal Bulsa, president of the Regional Medical Council in Szczecin.

The consequences of reducing NHF funding will be dramatic

The lack of funding for the National Health Fund means operational problems for hospitals and health care facilities, making it more difficult for patients to access services.

- This year, the Regional Medical Chamber in Szczecin initiated a big discussion on the financing of dentistry and the payment of overtime. There are similar problems with regulating services in psychiatry or rehabilitation, among others. We see that hospitals in Poland are increasingly in debt. Meanwhile, in Poland, the topic of health premiums has been a priority. We accept that unscrewing the Polish Deal is a necessary matter, but where are the compensations for the health care system? Where is the priority for patients? We find it unacceptable to treat health as something to save on. Minister Domanski, the opposite is true. Health will cost more and more every year. This is simply the case all over the world. Societies are aging, new innovative drugs are arriving, we are introducing innovative treatments e.g.: with the help of surgical robots this all costs money. Budget technocrats planning health system reforms before they start requesting optimization and savings should go to clinics or hospitals to talk to patients and then send letters appealing for savings," adds President Michal Bulsa.

The President of the Regional Medical Council in Szczecin has written a letter to the Minister of Finance on the matter. We are waiting for a response.

infra