Cardiovascular diseases are still the leading cause of death in Poland. They are responsible for nearly 35 percent of deaths, and the total cost of managing CVD is PLN 56 billion, or PLN 1,200 per capita. These are the conclusions of the report "Toward Improving Cardiovascular Health in Poland," prepared for Infarma by PwC. Risk factors are still primarily hypercholesterolemia, physical inactivity and hypertension. The report's creators identify key challenges in the quest for improvement.
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death. What needs to be done to improve the situation?
Published Feb. 6, 2025 12:25
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major public health challenge throughout Europe, and particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. Here, cardiovascular health outcomes are poorer than in other regions of the continent. Lifestyle is largely responsible for this: smoking, physical inactivity and the epidemic of overweight and obesity. The key risk factors for CVD are hypercholesterolemia, hypertension and hyperglycemia.
Poland is one of the few countries in Europe to have implemented a strategy to reduce the number of heart patients and, as a result, reduce the number of deaths from CVD. At the core of the National Program on Cardiovascular Diseases (NPChUK) for 2022-32 are prevention, early detection and effective treatment. The PwC report shows that while the NPChUK is a good direction, there are still many areas that need attention. The main challenge is screening, which is essential for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, as evidenced by the fact that as many as 84 percent of primary care patients in Poland have been diagnosed with dyslipidemia, which increases the risk of atherosclerosis, for example.
Not the least of the challenges is effective, long-term coordination of cardiac care. The National Cardiac Network (NCN) is supposed to be the answer, but the pilot did not cover the entire country, only individual provinces. It is also worth noting that as of 2015, only 2 of 194 registered therapies for cardiac treatment have been approved for reimbursement in Poland. Modern treatments are therefore costly for patients.
We asked Prof. Robert Gil, president of PTKardio, about the report's findings.
What are the key findings of the PwC report?
For me, the conclusions are two. First, we have confirmation that nothing, in terms of cardiovascular disease risk factors, has improved. This means that the action to date has been ineffective. Second, all the problems addressed are known to us, and what's more, we know how to deal with them. It is hoped that if the Ministry of Health listens to the voice of experts, if it takes into account our suggestions and proposals, I am convinced that we will finally begin to see some positive changes. There are many indications that this will be the case. The inverted pyramid of benefits, the cooperation of the Polish Society of Cardiology with experts from the Ministry of Health are symptoms indicating that there is such a desire. Today we are still in the same place, with the same expectations from the public, longer and longer queues and at the same time, paradoxically, with more and more possibilities for medicine. She is developing. It costs money, but gives more and more chances for more effective treatment. What is needed is prevention, better use of primary care and outpatient specialty care, and relieving the burden on the hospital system.
Poland is chairing the EU council in the first half of the year. Will it make a difference for cardiology?
Health care workers probably have too high hopes and expectations that the presidency will change anything. The presidency is a kind of moment when a country can show its priorities, its achievements. It's important, but it won't solve our problems. Perhaps the presidency will accelerate some of our actions, so that in the next one we can show what a great leap we have made. Let's use this moment to do things faster and more efficiently.
