Hazel after the adoption of the hospital reform: I wanted deeper changes

• On August 5, the Sejm adopted the bill on hospital reform, for which there was no majority the day before
• - This is the first step in reforming the healthcare system and it is not only about making district hospitals "tailor-made" to the health needs of residents - comments former Minister of Health Izabela Leszczyna, author of the act
• - Do we have a guarantee or any kind of security that they will be tailored to the needs of residents, and not the needs of management/district officials? - asks Jakub Kosikowski, spokesman for the Supreme Medical Chamber, who assesses that the law is "like a scalpel"

- Of course, I wanted the changes to be more profound, because then we would have fixed the system faster, but this form of the bill turned out to be the only possible compromise - commented former Minister of Health Izabela Leszczyna, who introduced the bill to the Sejm.

Like the rest of the coalition – currently MP Leszczyna – she voted "in favor" of its adoption. And let's remember that there were previous problems with majority support among the coalition partners. Subsequent bills were dropped from the Council of Ministers' deliberations, and the one currently scheduled for the vote was withdrawn from the voting schedule at the last minute . The Left broke away, ultimately supporting the bill almost unanimously yesterday . Only MPs Dorota Olko and Daria Gosek-Popiołek abstained.

"This is the first step in reforming the healthcare system, and it's not just about ensuring that district hospitals are tailored to the healthcare needs of residents. Together with the package of regulations already in place and the financial mechanism being developed by the Ministry of Finance, the law will increase patient safety and allow for rational resource management," Leszczyna explained.

Hospital reform, like a "scalpel"

The spokesman for the Supreme Medical Chamber commented on the former minister’s social media post.

"Minister, do we have a guarantee or any kind of security that they will be tailored to the needs of residents, not the needs of management/district officials? Are maternity/pediatric wards not profitable, or should we close them if there are no willing workers?" asked Jakub Kosikowski.

In response, MP Leszczyna pointed out that there are maps of needs and maps of benefits that will be the basis for the National Health Fund's opinion, which is necessary for any change.

"National Consultant for Gynecology and Obstetrics, Professor Wender-Ożegowska, is preparing an analysis of maternity wards with the Ministry of Health. Travel time cannot exceed 30 minutes, which is the international standard. Today, without this law, wards are being closed due to a lack of staff to cover shifts," she added.

In the opinion of doctor Kosikowski, the law is necessary, but "for me it is like a scalpel."

- It can allow for precise surgery that will help the hospital, but it can also be used for blind stabbing "which is not profitable, cut", hence my slight concern about how this scalpel will be used - commented the NIL spokesman.

"A lot also depends on you - the doctors!" replied Leszczyna.

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