“When reforming the healthcare system, we take into account the perspective of patients and their needs, said Health Minister Adam Niedzielski. These needs, he said, include rapid access to highly qualified doctors, assistance in comfortable conditions and easy access to documentation.
The head of the Ministry of Health takes part in the debate organized as part of the “Programowy Ul. of Law and Justice” convention.
We are doing work that guarantees that the health care system – which is a difficult thing, a complicated whole – is being reformed step by step
said the minister.
He pointed out that without the guarantee of increasing spending and increasing funds, talk of reform is “something popularly referred to as mixing a ladle in the same soup”.
We’ve moved away from the paradigm of standing still, we’re increasing spending. They will grow systematically and this gives favorable conditions and opportunities to think about a real change
– emphasized the head of the Ministry of Health.
The patient’s perspective
Changes can be made in several ways, he said, taking many positions, such as meeting the professional needs of employee groups.
We took a different perspective, the patient’s perspective. In every dimension
emphasized Niedzielski.
He noted that “every reform proposal, every proposal for change, is measured and analyzed from the point of view of what it means to the patient, whether he will benefit from it or feel the change.”
We just increase our spending. We want them to translate as closely as possible to the needs and expectations of patients
said the minister.
Patients, he noted, expect prompt access to highly qualified doctors and medics, they also want to be admitted in friendly, comfortable conditions.
Another expectation – as he listed – is that the patient should have the right to judge the doctor, so that “he should not only be an object in the treatment process, but also become a partner”. The head of the Ministry of Health stated that patients also expect easy access to medical documentation, for example.
These five patient expectations are the starting point for thinking about how reform can be achieved
stressed the minister.
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“We declare, but then execute it consistently”
Health Minister Adam Niedzielski and Digitalization Minister Janusz Cieszyński took part in a debate organized as part of the “Programowy Str. of Law and Justice” convention on Sunday.
Funds must be available to allow for any changes
said the health minister.
We declare, but then consistently execute
– added. As an example of implemented requirements, he mentioned the Health Care Act financed from public funds. It is based on determining the growth path of health expenditure to the level of 7 percent. GDP in 2027
First of all, it decided that we would increase spending to 6% for the foreseeable future. GDP, and then we accelerated to 7 percent. We are already in the reality, where the assumptions for this year is that 6 percent. We exceed GDP
he assured.
The Polish state already has so many resources – it is worth noting that these resources are due to the fact that a whole spectrum of activities have been undertaken under the leadership of the Prime Minister that have brought us resources – that we will fund any service that is provided
he noticed.
Of course, the point is not to spend more money, but to take advantage of these higher expenses
assured Niedzielski. He admitted that there is still work to improve access to specialists, “but we can certainly say that we have greatly reduced access to diagnostics.”
During his speech, he drew attention to the insufficient number of doctors in Poland. He emphasized that increasing it is an ongoing process, but is already delivering the intended results.
Doctors cannot be bought overnight, but the abolition of limits, the introduction of technological solutions – all these effects are really felt
– he said.
According to the Minister of Digitization, Janusz Cieszyński, “Having more money allows us to do many tasks.” He notes that many limits have been lifted during PiS’s reign, shortening queues for specialist doctors. In addition, he mentioned an important element of the changes, such as raising salaries in the care sector.
They increased by several tens of percent
he noticed.
We have almost doubled the number of people currently studying at the Faculty of Medicine and almost halved the number of residents
– added.
“The demand for services is growing exponentially.”
The minister said that when it comes to fast access to a doctor, patients in all countries must reckon with massive staff shortages.
An aging society and growing health awareness make us want to see a doctor more and more, the demand for services is growing exponentially
he pointed it out.
Therefore, he stressed that the government’s priority is to increase the number of specialists.
We’ve been doing it consistently since 2016, slowly out of a certain staff crisis that’s actually a result of negligence when it comes to medical school students
he assessed.
Niedzielski said the current year is a record when it comes to recruiting for medical studies. He reported that nearly 11,000 students.
At the beginning of our term, that number was seven thousand. We managed to increase the number of places in the universities that have trained so far, but also to create completely new centers of education, not only in the largest academic centers, but also in smaller cities
– noted the head of the Ministry of Health. The minister said that the first graduates of the increased enrollment appear in the system, pass the LEK exam, do an internship and think about specializations.
The need to expand the medical workforce, as the head of the Ministry of Health added, applies not only to doctors, but also to nurses, for example.
The average age of a nurse in Poland is 55 years. If we don’t take steps quickly to increase the inflow into this profession, we will have almost 50 percent in five years’ time. female nurses who can benefit from pension rights
he pointed it out. Hence, he added, such a strong determination to raise admission limits and build incentive systems.
Niedzielski pointed out that according to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, the health sector is the sector where wages have risen the most over the past two years.
It pays to work for health, it pays to think about a career in healthcare
he said.
The minister also said that the outflow of medical personnel abroad has stopped.
In addition, we have become such an attractive market for Eastern countries that we are currently receiving great interest from doctors from Belarus and Ukraine to work in Poland.
– added.
The head of the Ministry of Health said he had issued nearly 5,000 in the past year as part of the simplified procedure for issuing work permits to doctors in Poland. such permissions.
With the total number of doctors, about 100,000, it doesn’t make a fundamental difference, of course, but it is noticeable. This is real system support
he pointed it out.
Availability of a doctor depends on how many doctors there are, whether they will earn well, and we are systematically working on that
he noticed.
As for the expectation of high qualifications of doctors, as the head of the Ministry of Health stressed, contrary to some opinions, increasing recruitment does not mean that the quality of education decreases.
We’ve done a lot of work on education standards and competency standards
he noticed.
Referring to the issue of decent, modern and safe conditions for providing benefits, the minister ruled that what has happened in the system in recent years is simply an “investment offensive”. He pointed out that significant funds are being proposed as part of competitions for hospitals to invest in improving infrastructure.
This offensive, this scale of activity is not only unprecedented in recent years, but also shows how much neglect has been committed, how many districts, teaching hospitals were left to themselves before 2016
said Niedzielski.
Speaking on the issue of digitalization in healthcare, the head of the Ministry of Health stressed that this area is developing dynamically. He indicated, among other things, that 17 million Poles already have an online patient account.
This is the most popular digital service in Poland
he noticed. E-prescriptions, he continued, are widely distributed and paper prescriptions are actually rare. The minister also mentioned that new technologies are being used, eg for remote consultations.
He noted that the patient has the right to express his opinion about the treatment.
We are introducing a standard for gauging patient opinion. Anyone can respond after treatment
he pointed it out.
Finally, Niedzielski notes that the government takes the patients’ perspective into account when reforming the healthcare system, which fits in with the PiS approach of listening to the voice of society.
Recalling Winston Churchill’s words, the head of the Department of Health declared that “healthy citizens are the greatest asset a country can have”.
Mon/PAP
Source: wPolityce