The celebration of the Patient Ombudsman's anniversary was held as part of the 20th Health Market Forum. It was recalled that the Law on Patients' Rights and Patients' Ombudsman was passed in 2008 and came into force the following year. Recent years, especially the pandemic period, have definitely accelerated the strengthening of the role of patients in the system, the slogan of a patient-centered system has been formulated - and even if this still remains more in the realm of declarations or wishes, there is no doubt that the role of patients (including patient organizations) is stronger today than it was fifteen or even ten years ago.
Bartlomiej Chmielowiec, who has been Patients' Ombudsman since 2017, presented on Tuesday a strategy for the institution he heads for the next few years. Among the key tasks, Chmielowiec pointed to improving the organization of queues, increasing accessibility and improving the quality of services provided, fighting fraud and the spread of false information by pseudo-medics. The ombudsman drew particular attention to the latter point, stressing his determination (but also the objective necessity) to fight - as he put it bluntly - charlatans who make capital (literally and figuratively) on people seeking help and confused, frightened by the state of their health.
The MPC's goals for 2024-2027 are:
- Ensure the operation of an effective system to prevent violations of patient rights;
- Ensure the operation of an effective system to ensure that the rights of patients in psychiatric hospitals are respected;
- Providing effective tools to support the patient in using the health care system;
- Improving the effectiveness of the Patient Ombudsman;
- Inspiring change in patient safety in the health care system;
- Collecting information on adverse events and developing recommendations, analyses and reports;
- safeguarding the needs of patients affected by adverse events;
- Developing good communication practices with the patient.
To this end, as the MPC indicated in its published strategy, it is necessary, among other things, to expand the staff resources of the MPC Office, to further involve key stakeholders in the health system in the implementation of individual initiatives, to develop new competencies for the Ombudsman, external and internal communication, legal and economic stability, and the state of the health system.
- The Ombudsman's ambition is to initiate positive changes in health care, including supporting patient safety measures, including those undertaken by the Prime Minister's Office and the Minister of Health, the "Strategy" reads.
In this context, it is worth recalling that at its last meeting, the Health Committee gave a positive opinion of the MPC's budget, significantly increased compared to the previous two years. Members of both the ruling coalition and the opposition stressed that the MPC is performing well the tasks for which the institution was established, and there is no doubt that it will use the larger funds in a targeted manner.
