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NIK stated that the activities of the National Health Fund in 2018 did not cause a significant change in the availability of services for patients. The only significant change is the shortening of the queues for cataract surgery.
- NIK analyzed the activities of the National Health Fund in 2018 and found that the total number of people waiting for benefits decreased by over 50, which, however, did not result in major changes in the availability of
- The revenues of the National Health Fund were higher than in the previous year, as were the expenditures which for the first time exceeded PLN 80 billion
- A breakthrough came only in the organization of cataract treatment, which NIK called a “glorious exception”
NHF expenditure
Supreme Audit Office published report on the implementation of the tasks of the National Health Fund in 2018. It shows that the availability of services for patients has not changed significantly, although for the first time the fund allocated more than PLN 80 billion for them. The increase in expenditure is the result of an increase in the costs of services (especially in hospital treatment) by PLN 4,7 billion. According to the NIK report the costs of pay rises for professional groups amounted to over PLN 4,5 billion, i.e. PLN 1,9 billion more than in 2017. They were distributed as follows:
- PLN 315 million for specialist doctors,
- PLN 4 million for nurses and midwives,
- PLN 147 million for rescuers and midwives,
- PLN 68 million for paramedics in hospitals.
The revenues of the National Health Fund in 2018 reached almost PLN 85,3 billion and were 7,13 percent. higher than in the previous year.
Number of waiting for benefits
The Supreme Audit Office positively assessed the fact that compared to 2017 the total number of people waiting for benefits decreased – by 50 thousand. This has been achieved, inter alia, thanks to the verification of waiting lists, as well as changes in the organization of cataract treatment and procedures in the field of arthroplasty of the knee and hip joints. In 2018, new rules for qualifying people for cataract surgery came into force (you can find them on the website of the Polish Ophthalmology Society). It is the changes in the treatment of cataracts that allowed to reduce the number of waiting persons by as much as 25%. NIK emphasizes that only in this area there have been actual changes experienced by patients.
However, NIK emphasized that in the case of some benefits, the number of people waiting did not decrease, but increased significantly. It is about hospital treatment, outpatient specialist care and medical rehabilitation.
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The effects of the KOS-Zawał program
The report of the Supreme Audit Office shows that thanks to the introduction of comprehensive care services after a myocardial infarction, KOS-Zawał the availability of cardiac rehabilitation has improved. However, only 12,5 percent. patients who were hospitalized in 2018 with a diagnosis qualifying for KOS-Zawał were treated under this form of care. Most patients benefited from the program in the Śląskie, Dolnośląskie and Lubelskie voivodships. In four voivodships (Świętokrzyskie, Podkarpackie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie and Pomorskie) at the end of 2018, there was no access to KOS-Zawał at all.
Dentobuses under the magnifying glass
NIK also looked at the functioning of the dentobuses that were purchased by the Minister of Health in 2017. The report says that they did not leave any voivodships at the beginning of 2018. The first started operating only from April. Due to organizational problems, they were only used for three to nine months. A total of 34 thousand used dentobuses. patients.
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