Proposed new RARS powers raise concerns. Whose and why?

A release made available by the Coalition reads:

Again, we would like to emphasize that the Coalition does not question the very need to introduce reimbursement for the rental of auxiliary equipment for the disabled, dependent and chronically ill. The Coalition's authorities have repeatedly called on successive governments to introduce reimbursement for the rental and servicing of selected medical devices issued on individual orders.

In response to the Coalition's letter back in 2021, Deputy Minister of Health, Mr. Maciej Miłkowski, in a letter dated December 18, 2021, pointed to the need to amend the law, through which appropriate powers were to be introduced for the Government Strategic Reserve Agency. Despite this, this has not been done to this day, and in the meantime a large amount of rehabilitation, nursing and support equipment has been purchased for a total of PLN 200 million, the specification of which has been classified, and the equipment itself is stored in RARS warehouses. We read the current procedure of inscribing the possibility of making, on behalf of and on behalf of the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, purchases of products that serve to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities in the draft law on amendments to the Law on Competition and Consumer Protection and certain other laws as an attempt to legalize the state of affairs that was reached as recently as last year.

As the Coalition, we do not agree with the argument presented publicly by representatives of the United Right that since the predecessors broke the law the party called Law and Justice can also act in this way.

In the opinion of the Coalition, both the manner in which the idea of a central rental service was proceeded with, as well as the entrusting of this to the Deputy Minister of Family and Social Policy, Mr. Pawel Wdowik, doom this project to financial, social and political failure. We also see no rational justification for other arguments appearing in the media space in favor of introducing a central rental facility for "assistive technologies" in Poland:

- that this project involves the purchase of equipment different from that currently reimbursed and will not affect the current market in any way (hearing aids or wheelchairs purchased by RARS are reimbursed under the National Health Fund and the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities),

- that the already functioning system of reimbursed sales of medical devices by the National Health Fund cannot be expanded to include rental shops (a system of reimbursed rental shops has existed for many years in other European Union countries, such as Germany),

- That it is an innovative project on a European scale (so far, what is innovative is mainly the way it is proceeded and implemented).

In summary, the Coalition maintains its critical stance on the idea of a central rental facility for assistive equipment for people with disabilities, dependents and chronic illnesses, which has now been renamed the "Assistive Technology Lending Facility for People with Disabilities" program. The name change alone will not make this project economically efficient, transparent and socially useful.

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