Stream of money for oncology

At a Thursday press conference at the Health Ministry, it was announced that additional streams of money will flow to hospitals (PLN 1.3 billion) and - a separate stream - to cancer centers (nearly PLN 280 million).

Deputy Health Minister Waldemar Kraska recalled that on April 20, the law on the National Oncology Network came into force. - A law that changes the philosophy of treating oncology patients in our country. The first step is the entry into force of provisions for coordinators who will take care of the patient throughout the diagnostic and therapeutic pathway. The coordinators should appear in every oncology center as early as May 20, and let me remind you that all centers that treat oncology patients automatically enter the NSO," Kraska informed, estimating that about seven hundred coordinators will be needed in Poland, and their appearance in the system will generate more costs for the centers. - We are meeting these needs. We have earmarked PLN 84.3 million a year for the introduction of mandatory coordinators in oncology centers," Kraska said, stressing that in the KSO pilot the coordinators were very well received by patients.

PLN 87.6 million will be used to fund specialized centers to diagnose and treat breast and colorectal cancers.

107 million zlotys will be spent to finance examinations by certified pathomorphology labs - certificates are issued by the minister after an evaluation procedure by the Quality Monitoring Center. - Proper oncological treatment depends on a well-made pathomorphological diagnosis. Centers performing pathomorphological examinations must be certified by us. Currently, there are 38 certificates for laboratories in Poland. Ultimately, there are to be 51 such labs," informed the deputy head of the ministry.