The rules for night and holiday medical care have been changing since Tuesday. The National Health Fund ensures that patients will be able to benefit from medical advice in additional facilities. However, in some voivodships the number of such clinics was reduced.
The obligation to zoning is abolished, patients will be able to choose the clinic where they want to use night and holiday medical assistance. According to the National Health Fund, additional patient admission points are to be launched depending on the needs and local conditions.
The fund wants the changes to reduce the distance from the patient’s place of residence to the clinic where he will receive medical advice. He assures that contracts have not been signed only with those facilities where the standards of provided services were not satisfactory and patients did not receive the necessary help.
In the province In the Westpomeranian Region, the number of night-time medical assistance points has decreased from 106 to 25. In Szczecin, the capital of the region, there will be four – previously there were 10 – said Małgorzata Koszur, spokeswoman for the West Pomeranian Branch of the National Health Fund. She added that 43 medical and nursing teams will be on duty at night throughout the voivodeship. According to her data, on average less than 1900 people visit night care points in the region per day. Previously, it was 18 patients on duty. After the changes, one doctor should see about 40 patients during the shift.
Koszur emphasized that in many cases, night care was used by patients who should report to a doctor working on weekdays between 8 a 18.
Also in the Śląskie Voivodeship, the number of places providing night and holiday medical care decreased from 76 to 52. However, the amount of money allocated to these services did not change.
In Pomerania, the number of points providing night and holiday medical care decreased by approx. One third. The spokesman for the NFZ branch in Gdańsk, Mariusz Szymański, informed PAP on Monday that from March 1, services will be provided at 33 points; so far there were 55. One point is now for 30 thousand. residents. In Gdańsk, assistance will be provided in 5 points, in Gdynia – in two, and in Sopot – in one.
Explaining the reduction in the number of clinics, the spokesman said the Fund wants quantity to turn into quality. He assured that in Pomorskie, at least two doctors and two nurses will be on duty at each point providing night and holiday medical care, which means that each point will also provide travel assistance. He reminded that when selecting a patient point, zoning is not required.
On the other hand, in Wielkopolska the number of night and holiday health care points decreased by two – from 46 so far to 44. In the Świętokrzyskie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie and Lubuskie voivodships, the number of night health care units has not changed.
On the other hand, the number of centers will increase in Wrocław; So far, there have been 29, and from March there will be 33 – said the spokeswoman of the local branch of the National Health Fund, Joanna Miearańńska. There will also be additional facilities in Warsaw, incl. in the districts of: Praga Południe, Włochy, Ursus, Mokotów, Rembertów, and Wesoła – the total number of health centers will remain unchanged, however, said Wanda Pawłowicz, spokeswoman for the Masovian National Health Fund.
There will be 26 centers providing night and holiday medical care in Podkarpacie. These are both public institutions, incl. ambulances and hospitals, as well as private. According to PAP, the spokesman for the National Health Fund in Rzeszów, Marek Jakubowicz, so far service providers have not provided comprehensive care, but only partial care, which is why it is difficult to compare the current number of points providing this type of medical assistance with last year.
In the province In Łódź, there will be 35 night and holiday medical care points – six in Łódź alone, where patients will have a total of 29 teams of doctors and nurses at their disposal, who are to provide assistance, if necessary, not only at the outpatient clinic, but also at the patient’s home.
In the province In Lublin, 24 facilities will provide care at night and on holidays, including 52 medical teams consisting of a doctor and a nurse. In the Kuyavian-Pomeranian region, contracts have been signed so far with 25 institutions providing aid on public holidays and at night. However, competitions in four poviats remain to be decided: Chełmno, Mogilno, Radziejów and Tuchola. (PAP)