Unhealthy developments
The week opened with the health service in the media spotlight, following the death of an elderly patient who had been turned away by nine hospitals. It closed with the health minister out of a job.
The 79-year old heart attack victim from Częstochowa was left in an ambulance outside the hospitals, which claimed they had no place for him. Eventually, a hospital 70 kilometres away was found that was prepared to take him, but by then it was too late. Jacek Brendzel, deputy director of city hospitals in Częstochowa, attempted to explain the situation away by saying they could not take a respirator from another patient. However, he clearly failed to convince Mayor Tadeusz Wrona, who suspended both Brendzel and his boss, Bernard Rajczyk, director of city hospitals.
Later in the week prosecutors in the city of Łód revealed that they had accused another doctor of failing to provide proper medical assistance. The prosecutors claimed that, as a result of his actions, three patients had died.
Meanwhile, the country's politicians debated the level of heath insurance contributions. Health Minister Mariusz Łapiński tried and failed to persuade parliament to undo an unpopular increase in health insurance charges written into the government's own budget for 2003. The Senate eventually voted to ignore his pleas and in favour of an 8% rate. The Senate also rejected an amendment that would make health fund contributions tax deductible, thus effectively adding €224 million (zł. 900 million) to the budget of the National Health Fund.
Łapiński was also seeking the cancellation of the outstanding €200 million (zł. 800 million) of a €249 million (zł. 1 billion) loan received by the country's kasa chorych health funds in 2000. However, such a proposal would require a change to the budget, leaving Finance Minister Grzegorz Kołodko with the final say.
Earlier, the country's doctors had added their voices to the funding argument. At a conference of the Polish Union of Doctors (OZZL), the organisation's president, Krzysztof Bukiel, described the decision by many regional health funds to cut their contracts with hospitals and clinics as "a propaganda manoeuvre."
"The situation is being made worse in order to be in possession of additional funds for when the National Health Fund comes into existence," he said. "Reducing the contracts results in the further indebtedness of hospitals. The patients will thus be treated at the standards of the 1970s."
The health ministry, however, objected to the suppositions, with a spokesperson describing the numbers quoted by OZZL as incredible and the allegations unbelievable.
Bowing to media and public pressure, Łapiński announced he had decided to return his two new luxury cars. The announcement the previous week that the ministry planned to spend more than zł. 300,000 a piece on the two new vehicles had caused a media furore.
Finally, the prime minister decided to axe his health minister. The official reason, given by Miller, was that Łapiński had exceeded his mandate by pledging to bail out the heavily indebted public health funds. Łapiński is to be replaced by Marek Balicki, an SLD senator with a strong health service background.
The 79-year old heart attack victim from Częstochowa was left in an ambulance outside the hospitals, which claimed they had no place for him. Eventually, a hospital 70 kilometres away was found that was prepared to take him, but by then it was too late. Jacek Brendzel, deputy director of city hospitals in Częstochowa, attempted to explain the situation away by saying they could not take a respirator from another patient. However, he clearly failed to convince Mayor Tadeusz Wrona, who suspended both Brendzel and his boss, Bernard Rajczyk, director of city hospitals.
Later in the week prosecutors in the city of Łód revealed that they had accused another doctor of failing to provide proper medical assistance. The prosecutors claimed that, as a result of his actions, three patients had died.
Meanwhile, the country's politicians debated the level of heath insurance contributions. Health Minister Mariusz Łapiński tried and failed to persuade parliament to undo an unpopular increase in health insurance charges written into the government's own budget for 2003. The Senate eventually voted to ignore his pleas and in favour of an 8% rate. The Senate also rejected an amendment that would make health fund contributions tax deductible, thus effectively adding €224 million (zł. 900 million) to the budget of the National Health Fund.
Łapiński was also seeking the cancellation of the outstanding €200 million (zł. 800 million) of a €249 million (zł. 1 billion) loan received by the country's kasa chorych health funds in 2000. However, such a proposal would require a change to the budget, leaving Finance Minister Grzegorz Kołodko with the final say.
Earlier, the country's doctors had added their voices to the funding argument. At a conference of the Polish Union of Doctors (OZZL), the organisation's president, Krzysztof Bukiel, described the decision by many regional health funds to cut their contracts with hospitals and clinics as "a propaganda manoeuvre."
"The situation is being made worse in order to be in possession of additional funds for when the National Health Fund comes into existence," he said. "Reducing the contracts results in the further indebtedness of hospitals. The patients will thus be treated at the standards of the 1970s."
The health ministry, however, objected to the suppositions, with a spokesperson describing the numbers quoted by OZZL as incredible and the allegations unbelievable.
Bowing to media and public pressure, Łapiński announced he had decided to return his two new luxury cars. The announcement the previous week that the ministry planned to spend more than zł. 300,000 a piece on the two new vehicles had caused a media furore.
Finally, the prime minister decided to axe his health minister. The official reason, given by Miller, was that Łapiński had exceeded his mandate by pledging to bail out the heavily indebted public health funds. Łapiński is to be replaced by Marek Balicki, an SLD senator with a strong health service background.
