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Recently, deaths have been talked about almost exclusively in the context of COVID-19. No wonder, because our country is very high in the list of countries with the highest number of victims of coronavirus infection. However, when we add to it people who have passed away for reasons not directly related to the infection, it turns out that the number of deaths is even higher. And redundant, because many of these deaths could have been avoided. It was done by other countries, which Poland left far behind in the ranking of excess deaths.
- In 2021, over 506 people died in Poland. people
- This is more than a year ago and much more than in the years before the COVID-19 pandemic
- Eurostat data shows that last year our country was at the top of the ranking of excess deaths in European countries
- However, the coronavirus is not the only “culprit”. Experts point out, first of all, the inefficiency and inefficiency of the health care system in Poland and the lack of epidemiological planning
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More and more people are dying in Poland
The last two years were not the easiest ones, also in terms of demographics. In 2021, the largest number of people died in Poland since World War II – over 506. It is about 40 thousand. more than in the equally tragic year 2020, when over 477 thousand people left Poles (68 thousand more than in 2019).
- Also read: In 2021, over half a million people died in Poland
A part of this number (69) are deaths due to COVID-19, but the causes of death of Poles were definitely more. According to experts’ estimates, almost 30 percent. of these could have been avoided.
– Most of these deaths from diagnosed and undiagnosed COVID-19. People died at home without receiving help, and before they died they were untested and appear in the statistics for the causes of death: respiratory failure or pneumonia. The second group of people are those who died of other diseases due to overburdening health care. We are also dealing with this here and now, in the current wave of the epidemic – explained psychotherapist Maciej Roszkowski in an interview with Medonet.
What are excess deaths?
These are redundant deaths that are increasingly being talked about during a pandemic. What does it mean? Simply put it is the ratio of the number of deaths in a given year to the average number of deaths from the same period in the previous years. Today, the time before the appearance of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is mainly considered. For Eurostat, the data of which we discuss in this article, the years 2016-2019 are such a point of reference.
What is most important in analyzing the data on redundant deaths is the indicator used. Analysts do not give specific figures as it would not make sense in the context of comparing individual countries. 90 thousand excess deaths that we had, according to experts’ estimates in last year in Poland, in our country may be a very large number, but in countries with a much larger population (for example in China) not necessarily. And vice versa – in a country with a smaller population, such a result may be even more alarming than in Poland. Therefore, the statistics always show the percentage average increase in deaths.
The number of excess deaths is very important information not only for demographers but also for politicians. It is an answer to the question whether the health service is adequately “cared for”, that is, to invest (in terms of personnel, equipment, technology, services) so that it is able to help all patients in need. It is not only about their treatment, but also diagnostics and health prophylaxis, allowing to reduce the risk of disease or exacerbation of various diseases that may lead to death.
- Read also: The number of deaths after the pandemic terrifies doctors. «Whoever survived, survived. And whoever was weaker died »
The rest of the text below the video.
Excess deaths in Poland – data for 2021
If we look at the statistics of excess deaths in European countries from this angle, Poland is definitely not doing the best in this care. Eurostat data show that last year we were on the podium several times in the list of countries with the highest excess death rate compared to the 2016-2019 period.
In January 2021, from 26 percent. we were seventh. In February, although the percentage was lower (11 percent) – on the sixth, and in March – from 38 percent. – on the fifth. April brought a significant increase (the second worst result in the year) – as much as 65%. excess deaths, which made Poland jump to the second place in the ranking, second only to Bulgaria (77%). Importantly, the average for the entire European Union was then only 21 percent.
- Also read: Doctor on deaths in Poland: it hasn’t happened since 1945.
In the following months of last year, the situation improved in most European countries. In Poland in May it was only 27 percent, but it was enough to stand on the podium of the ranking. In June it was better – 13,7 percent. and seventh place, in July 7,4 percent. (11th place) and 5,8 percent. in August, which placed us in 18th position.
The increases started in September. In our country – 10 percent, in other countries – even over 30 percent. (Romania, Lithuania, Cyprus), and the infamous record holder was Bulgaria again (51,3%). In October, 14,5 percent. we were below the EU average (17,8%), thankfully not sharing the fate of Romania, where the excessive death rate reached the tragic level of 110,4%.
However, back in November, we too had cause for deep concern. The result of 50,9 percent. guaranteed us the sixth place in the ranking. EU average – 26 percent In the last month of 2021, we moved up to the first position in the list of excess deaths. From 68,9 percent. we have become the leaders of the infamous list of countries where more people die than in the same period a few years ago. For comparison, in other EU countries it was on average 22,9 percent.
The embed below allows you to check the weekly number of deaths in the countries that have made their data available to the European Statistical Office. By labeling a few of them, you can see how the death curves differ between them.
According to Eurostat, the best situation in terms of the number of excess deaths is in the Scandinavian countries, Finland, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Ireland, which were negative several times in 2021 (there were fewer excess deaths than in 2016-2019).
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Portugal also performed well in the ranking, although the year started worse than Poland (from 60,5%), in the following months the indicator was negative several times, and the year closed with a result of 6,6%. Interestingly, Italy also has a small percentage of excess deaths, which suffered a lot during the first wave of the pandemic and had a huge number of victims of the coronavirus.
- See also: Not only age and lifestyle. Genetic factors may have influenced the course of the pandemic in Italy
Who is affected by the excess mortality in our country?
Among all people requiring medical care, the largest group of neglected patients are patients of internal wards, which were massively transformed into covid wards during the pandemic.
– In the hospital where I work, I deal with neglected patients: severe circulatory failure and advanced neoplastic process. And statistics show that the average life expectancy of Poles is shortening, it was caused by the pandemic. Before we saw the opposite, we lived longer and longer. This is a big step backwards – explained in an interview with Medonet Dr. Beata Poprawa, MD, head of the Internal Medicine Department of the dr. B. Hager in Tarnowskie Góry. As she added, the pandemic revealed the failure of the entire health system in Poland.
– He was practically paralyzed by this epidemiological catastrophe. Patients requiring constant medical care suffered as a result. Because numerous departments in Poland, especially internal medicine departments, have been transformed for patients fighting the coronavirus. The availability of other patients to hospital beds has also worsened – she said.
- Check it out: The hidden victims of the pandemic. Scary death data outside the statistics
A step back was also taken in the area of diagnostics and treatment of neoplastic diseases. It’s an effect. incl. lockdowns and incentives to stay at home. Many patients took it to heart and, despite the alarming symptoms, postponed examinations and an appointment with a doctor for fear of the coronavirus and possible infection.
– Let us remember that primary health care has largely changed the form of care from direct to teleporting during the pandemic. And teleporting in the case of cancer diagnosis does not work. If a patient has any concerns suggesting cancer, it should be absolutely seen – explained prof. Jacek Jassem, head of the Department and Clinic of Oncology and Radiotherapy of the Medical University of Gdańsk and president of the Board of the Polish League for Fighting Cancer.
– These patients were delayed in treatment and there were many more of them in the first months of 2021. And they are in more advanced stages of the disease, because each day of delay in cancer treatment has incalculable consequences. We don’t have detailed data yet, but doctors point out that they’ve never seen such a wave of advanced cancer before. – added the oncologist.
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Excess deaths. Looking for the guilty parties
Who is responsible for Poland’s disastrous results in the area of excess deaths? Was it possible to avoid them and how? According to Maciej Roszkowski, both the rulers and the citizens are to blame.
The current wave of deaths from COVID-19 and health overload could have been prevented if solutions were implemented in the summer, and in September at the latest, that worked in Italy and France, preventing tens of thousands of coronavirus deaths there. So the greatest responsibility rests with those who have the right tools, that is, the rulers – pointed out the psychotherapist. And he added:
– Secondly responsibility lies with a part of the Polish society that has been disinformed, denied the pandemic, was scared of vaccines, did not get vaccinated by choice and very often does not comply with any DDM rules. Unfortunately, there are also vaccinated people who think that it will be enough, they do not wear masks, and having covid symptoms, they still go to work, study, and meet their friends.
Marcin Murmyło, a specialist in lung diseases, agrees, who believes that the problem could be partially solved by reasonable planning of subsequent actions. In an interview with Medonet, he said:
– All this proves that the health care system in our country is not prepared for crisis situations, and there was a lack of epidemiological planning. Provincial action plans in the event of mass incidents or epidemics quickly turned out to be meaningless pages. Nobody used them.
- See also: Excess deaths. A doctor with a collapse in health care
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