Poland is one of the few European countries in which patients with serious skin diseases do not have access to the best treatment methods recognized as standard in the world, dermatologists alerted at the Tuesday press conference in Warsaw.
When asked to comment on the allegations made by dermatologists, the spokesman for the Ministry of Health, Piotr Olechno, informed PAP that the Ministry of Health was working on developing a psoriasis treatment program.
During the conference, the national consultant for dermatology, prof. Andrzej Kaszuba regretted that people with skin diseases are deprived of the right to a normal life, because skin lesions are visible to the environment and lead to their stigmatization, social and professional isolation. We do not see these sick people on the streets, because they lock themselves up at home, do not go to the swimming pool or the beach; they often suffer from depression and attempt suicide. In his opinion, spending on modern, although expensive drugs would save you money, as they reduce the need for hospital stays and reduce absenteeism at work and school.
As Kaszuba recalled, on October 25, Deputy Minister of Health Marek Twardowski assured that during the week he would organize a meeting at which experts in the field of dermatology and representatives of the Ministry of Health and the National Health Fund would try to determine the best possible method of accounting for biological therapy for patients with the most severe forms of psoriasis. . Even though a month has passed, no one has invited us to the meeting – noted the expert.
The Ministry of Health did not respond to this allegation.
As Kaszuba assessed, when it comes to the reimbursement of biological drugs for the most severely ill with psoriasis, Poland is a blank spot on the map of Europe. Currently, about 400 patients have access to biological therapy, while even in Romania, where the overall psoriasis population is smaller, the figure is 2500.
According to the provincial consultant for dermatology in Greater Poland, prof. Zygmunt Adamski, biological drugs quickly soothe skin lesions, reduce the risk of many serious complications of psoriasis, such as cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases or metabolic diseases, reduce relapses and allow patients to live normally. Compared to older drugs, they are also very safe in long-term therapy.
The problem of access to the best therapies also applies to patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). This chronic inflammatory disease is manifested by dry skin and unbearable itching – almost 90 percent. patients feel it every day.
AD usually affects children. Young patients can have over 60 bouts of scratching while they sleep, which in total takes almost an hour. As explained by the president of the Polish Dermatological Society, prof. Jacek Szepietowski, the basis for the treatment of patients with AD is moisturizing the skin with emollients, which soothe dryness and inflammation. In the past, the condition was considered to be recurrent, and drugs were used only when skin lesions appeared. Currently, international experts agree that in AD, drugs should be used even when the changes have regressed.
Topical calcineurin inhibitors, which are much safer than steroids, give the best results. Unfortunately, they are very expensive, and in Poland they are not financed from public funds. We are trying to ensure that these drugs are at least partially reimbursed, especially for children – said the dermatologist.
Kaszuba also drew attention to the lack of reimbursement of the most effective drug that inhibits sebum secretion, i.e. isotretinoin, for people with the most severe forms of acne, causing permanent disfigurement, and bexarotene, an alternative to chemotherapy in people with skin lymphomas.
Among other problems of Polish dermatology, experts mentioned, inter alia, too low valuation of dermatological procedures, which is often the cause of indebtedness in hospitals and departments dealing with the treatment of skin diseases, as well as the lack of access to modern diagnostic methods.
Joanna Morga (PAP)