Dr. Grzesiowski sums up the COVID-19 epidemic in Poland. “Many ideas have been sunk in the political quagmire”

The Polish strategy of combating the coronavirus has aroused a lot of controversy from the beginning of the pandemic. This is also the case today, when, despite the increase in the number of infections, little is said about COVID-19 in the government, and there are no new ideas to improve the epidemiological situation. The experts’ assessment is bitter. – It is sad that a threat as serious as a pandemic ends in such serious negative consequences, among others, due to the drowning of many ideas and decisions in a political quagmire – believes Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski, a pediatrician, immunologist, expert of the Supreme Medical Council on epidemic threats.

1. The doctor notices that the wrong and insufficient decisions of the authorities ask for a comment. – Keeping distance is not always possible – he emphasizes
2.  – It was and is my repeated regret to the current political class that important decisions are postponed, preventive measures are not taken early enough, because voters’ support is more important – comments Dr. Grzesiowski
3. The expert draws attention to the fact that not only the Polish political class used the pandemic for political purposes. “Never in modern history has medicine been so mired in political fumes as it is now,” he says
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Distance is not always possible

– I do everything to be as far away from politics as possible, because it is so badly assessed by the society that any relationship with it immediately translates into loss of credibility – says Dr. Grzesiowski. – Unfortunately, keeping distance is not always possible – he adds.

As an example, the expert gives the history of the end of his cooperation with the Medical Center of Postgraduate Education or the GIS complaint to the Supreme Medical Council. – These were situations involving me in political disputes under the pretext of criticizing the authorities or undermining their credibility – he explains.

The doctor adds that he has never personally criticized any representative of the authorities. What else – their decisions, especially those that were – in his opinion – wrong or insufficient. This made him repeatedly referred to as a critic of the government behind the opposition.

– This is complete nonsense – he counters. – I am not criticizing political parties, but their wrong decisions. Let me remind you that during the swine flu pandemic, I had to leave the National Medicines Institute, in a dispute with the then Minister of Health, Ewa Kopacz – and it was about a recommendation to buy the H1N1 flu vaccine for risk groups.

The rest of the text below the video.

Decisions are postponed because voters’ support is more important

When asked how he assesses the government’s fight against the pandemic today, he does not hide bitterness.

Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski

Many politicians, despite the fact that they are aware of the threats, are unable to break through with projects or decisions because they are not politically beneficial. In addition, there were anti-virus “extremists”, anti-vaccine members, whose representatives in the Sejm cynically use the difficult situation to gain political gains.

It was and is my repeated regret to the current political class that important decisions are postponed, preventive measures are not taken early enough, because voters’ support is more important

The expert draws attention to the fact that in Poland we have one of the highest rates of excess deaths during a pandemic in Europe, “therefore it is today an element of the political game on both sides of the political scene”.

– It is terrible that having specific solutions in hand and knowing that they will work, they are not used because someone is afraid of social protests, and at the same time, in the middle of a pandemic, the abortion law changes, which leads to mass demonstrations. It is sad that a threat as serious as a pandemic ends in such serious negative consequences, among other things, due to the drowning of many ideas and decisions in the political quagmire – he says.

The doctor points out that the example of our country is not alone.

– The pandemic in Poland and many Western countries has become a hostage of politics and propaganda. Never in modern history has medicine been so mired in politics as it is now. Many representatives of the power of the world’s greatest powers have played down the virus and the pandemic. Then, through disinformation, they tried to cover up the dramatic effects of their delayed decisions. Healthcare is an important area in the fight for voter sympathy, and COVID-19 has only compounded this. The fight against the pandemic has intellectually surpassed many politicians, it has caused serious damage to the health of the society – he estimates.