National Cardiovascular Disease Program. What has been accomplished?

On Thursday, January 23, the Parliamentary Health Committee held a meeting to approve the report on the implementation of the National Cardiovascular Disease Program for 2022-2032 for 2023, which was presented to deputies by Deputy Minister Jerzy Szafranowicz. The decision was unanimous, which does not mean that there was a lack of questions or even doubts during the discussion.

Deputy Health Minister Jerzy Szafranowicz recalled that the National Cardiovascular Diseases Program is a strategic, comprehensive project guiding the development of cardiology in Poland. The program should contribute to reducing the prevalence of classic risk factors in the population, such as hypertension, smoking, lipid disorders, obesity and diabetes.

What has been accomplished? Certainly, it has not been possible to spend all the funds provided in the plan. As Szafranovich referred to, in 2023, work continued on the revision of educational standards for nursing and midwifery studies, learning outcomes related to prevention and care of people during and after treatment for cardiovascular diseases were included. "Comprehensive solutions for school pro-health education and promotion of healthy lifestyles for students in grades 4-8 of elementary schools and 1-3 of secondary schools" were developed. Work has begun on a health status calculator (application in myIKP). The conditions for the introduction of three new guaranteed services - implantation of a transcatheter electrodeless system for single-chamber pacing, transcatheter repair of tricuspid regurgitation using the "edge-to-edge" method with a clip, and monitoring of arrhythmic events, using implantable ILR arrhythmia recorders - have also been defined.

An important element in the implementation of the NHRC was the National Cardiac Network pilot program. Investments in medical apparatus and equipment were financed for medical entities participating in the cardiac network pilot programs, for which PLN 84 million was spent. Of this, 65 anesthesia machines, 450 cardiac monitors, 121 defibrillators, 45 chest compression devices and 51 hemodynamic platforms were purchased. Financial support was provided to 50 centers.

Professor Adam Witkowski, Health Minister's Plenipotentiary for the National Cardiovascular Disease Program, also spoke about the NSO pilot. - A total of 48,807 patients were included in the NSO in the pilot, in whom no more than 30 days could elapse between diagnosis and treatment. In addition, the procedures performed in the cardiac network were unlimited, so they did not burden hospitals, as they did not have to finance such procedures from the lump sum, so the number of these procedures increased a lot. Now we are a little worried, because for this year there is no piloting of the network, nor has the network been established for the time being, and the procedures will no longer be unlimited, but will go into the lump sum," said Prof. Witkowski.

The fate of the KSK - the law, but also the prospects for its implementation - interested MPs, both from the opposition and the ruling coalition. Elzbieta Gelert (KO) inquired whether, due to delays in the work, money from the KPO (the KSK is a milestone) would be lost, or whether, if launched too late, all centers would have an equal chance to benefit from it. Members also inquired about prevention, the "My Health" program (whether it will be supplemented with laboratory tests for cardiovascular diseases), and lamented the fact that health education is to be an optional subject.

Deputy Minister Szafranowicz assured that the KSK bill will be referred to the Standing Committee of the Council of Ministers in February. - Is the KPO money at risk? We cannot allow any funds from the KPO to be lost. We will do everything to spend them, even though time is short. There is no possibility of not receiving this money," he assured.