MZ: competition for oncology will be announced in March

At the end of January, the health ministry sent a notice of cancellation of the competition to the 19 centers that made it to the ranking list for the fall 2023 oncology investment competition, organized from the Medical Fund pool. Among others, former Health Minister Katarzyna Sójka (Law and Justice), who headed the ministry when the ranking list was announced, immediately spoke out on the matter. She accused the current leadership of the ministry of taking away more than PLN 4 billion not only from hospitals, but especially from oncology patients. - The Health Ministry's decision to cancel the competition for strategic cancer hospitals is one of the most damaging actions against Polish patients. At issue is PLN 4.2 billion from the Medical Fund, which was supposed to go to 19 key cancer centers across Poland, in 14 provinces. The funds were earmarked for the expansion, modernization and retrofitting of strategic facilities that save the lives of cancer patients every day, Katarzyna Sójka, who signed a question from Law and Justice (PiS) deputies about the fate of the competition, said in the Sejm on Thursday. - Minister Izabela Leszczyna withheld signing contracts with the public hospitals selected in the competition for more than a year, which blocked them from applying for funding for this purpose from other sources, such as the KPO. These centers not only lost a record 4.2 billion zlotys, but were also deprived of alternatives. This is not only administrative chaos, but also a deliberate act to the detriment of cancer patients, who have been denied the chance for better treatment, she said.

Law and Justice deputies emphasized primarily the delay in announcing the decision to cancel the competition, although - of course - they also claimed that it was "transparent and apolitical." - In 2024, the health ministry called on hospitals to complete the documentation necessary to sign contracts and transfer funds. More than a year was lost, and this time cannot be made up," noted Jayka.

Deputy Health Minister Marek Kos recalled that the competition to support oncology investments from the Medical Fund was announced in February 2023. In October of the same 2023, a ranking list of 19 entities that were targeted for funding was published. - The mere announcement of the ranking list, according to the Medical Fund Law, does not automatically mean that funds will be awarded. One still has to go through certain procedures. It is necessary to meet additional conditions, including, in particular, the preparation of an investment program, consistent with both the application submitted during the competition and the IOWISZ application, on the basis of which the Ministry of Health issues a decision on the advisability of the investment. This is in accordance with the law on publicly funded healthcare services," Marek Kos pointed out.

He added that once investment programs are agreed upon, they are then approved by the Council of Ministers through resolutions. Only then is a contract signed with the entity in question, which is the basis for receiving funding. - Therefore, it cannot be said that money was first given and then taken away. Until December 2023. The Ministry of Health had not started the procedure that would provide the basis for the allocation of funds. Investment programs had not been agreed upon, resolutions of the Council of Ministers had not been prepared, and contracts had not been signed as a result, so the money could not reach the accounts of hospitals, he explained.

The cancellation of the competition is even expected to speed up the transfer of money to hospitals, according to Deputy Minister Mark Kos. This is because the 2023 competition is currently being audited by the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau. It was recently extended, which blocks the possible signing of contracts, not to mention financial operations. The announcement of the new competition is a "new opening." - Re-announcement of the call is planned as early as March 2025. The allocation level remains unchanged - PLN 4.2 billion. As you can see, no one has taken money away from anyone, as the funds are reallocated to investments in the field of oncology. To this should be added PLN 5.2 billion for investment in oncology from the KPO, bringing the total to nearly PLN 9.5 billion in total for this purpose, Kos pointed out.

However, the issue of the oncology competition aroused so much emotion that after several hours Health Minister Izabela Leszczyna appeared personally at the rostrum, greeted by Law and Justice deputies with calls for her resignation. Leszczyna did not remain indebted: - To insist on this competition is like insisting on competitions from the Justice Fund, she addressed the opposition deputies.