Contents
The National Health Fund (NFZ) announced that from April 5 it will no longer be possible to issue referrals for postovid rehabilitation under the existing programs. Doctors do not hide their indignation. “This is absolutely unacceptable” – comments Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski, pediatrician, immunologist, expert of the Polish Medical Council in the fight against COVID-19. Do long covid patients now have a chance for reimbursed help with complications of coronavirus infection?
- The decision to withdraw the National Health Fund from financing postovid rehabilitation was issued overnight, without announcement
- This information surprised doctors – many read the NHF’s announcement the day after receiving it, i.e. when they could no longer issue a referral to the patient for rehabilitation
- Dr. Michał Chudzik: “I completely do not understand such a sudden limitation in access to services for seriously ill people. Where are people who are still in wards and seriously ill to rehabilitate? »
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
The decision was sudden and unexpected
Most doctors, as service providers, learned about the decision of the National Health Fund on Monday, April 4, which is the last day of the existing rules. According to them, the physician could issue a patient suffering from COVID-19 long tail for rehabilitation, which was carried out under reimbursed programs (or more precisely: services implemented on the basis of spa rehabilitation programs and an outpatient and home physiotherapy program for post-illness recipients) COVID-19).
According to doctors’ reports, they were used and used by thousands of Poles struggling with complications after an infection, and reserve lists were created in most rehabilitation centers. There was no shortage of people willing.
- Read also: “I’ve been suffering from COVID debts for two years now.” More and more people are struggling with this disease
The withdrawal of the National Health Fund from these programs surprised doctors because it happened overnight, without any prior announcements. In the Fund’s announcement, a note appears that the decision is issued “in accordance with the order of the Minister of Health of March 31, 2022”.
Healthcare professionals active in social media did not hide their consternation and indignation.
«This is absolutely unacceptable»- wrote on Twitter Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski, pediatrician, immunologist, expert of the Supreme Medical Council for the fight against COVID-19, suggesting that the matter should be dealt with by the Patient’s Rights Ombudsman and patient rights organizations.
This is absolutely unacceptable. Patient organization intervention necessary i @ReviewPatient https://t.co/19ox2yV964
– Pawel Grzesiowski (@grzesiowski_p) April 4, 2022
The rest of the text below the video.
Doctor: It was “the only successful product of the National Health Fund and the Ministry of Health”
Dr. Michał Chudzik, a cardiologist, internist, originator and coordinator of the “STOP-COVID” program, addressed to patients with complications after the course of COVID-19 at home, also took the floor.
The expert stated explicitly: «The government has called off complications from COVID«, Adding that he did it«silently, without announcement, without publicity«. He sarcastically added that “there is nothing to brag about”, “nobody likes to flaunt failure”. He added that it was “one (the only) successful product of the National Health Fund and the Ministry of Health during the pandemic”. Dr. Chudzik indicated that over 80 percent. patients experienced a significant improvement after such rehabilitation.
- See also: “The helplessness was the worst.” Dorota was 38 days in a coma. After COVID-19, she had to learn to breathe, talk, and walk again
The cardiologist also referred to the example of the USA, where the implementation of a new program for the treatment of long covid patients has just been announced.
The fact that the pandemic is really over for the Fund and the Ministry of Health is also mentioned in her speech by Magdalena Muras, family doctor and vice-president of the Łódź-Łódź Agreement of the Association of Healthcare Employers. «(…) that is, the pandemic has disappeared and the sick are not to be rehabilitated? I will probably send the newly diagnosed ones to the National Health Fund »- she stated.
Gilbert Kolbe also commented on the matter. The nurse active on Twitter ironically suggested to the ministry that he should also consider abolishing other programs, for example preventive programs, because there is a risk that “you will detect somebody else’s disease”.
«Patients will pay»
The Residents Agreement also does not hide the surprise and disappointment with the decision of the Ministry and the National Health Fund. Its representatives point out that patients will pay for it again.
Doctors cite specific examples of patients who will be deprived of the possibility of treating the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection as a result of the withdrawal of postovid rehabilitation. We are talking not only about patients who, after a long search for the causes of malaise, found out about the possibility of rehabilitation and made an appointment with a doctor to refer them to such treatment.
- Also check: They have passed COVID-19 but are not healthy. The doctor tells you what is wrong with the convalescent
Long covid treatment will be even more challenging for patients who are still undergoing COVID-19. Some of them stay at home, some in hospitals, also in the ICU, but we know that complications can be experienced by any healer, regardless of the course of the infection. The current patients will have no chance of reimbursed rehabilitation. For many of them, this means that there is no possibility of treatment, because private rehabilitation is a considerable cost.
What can long covid patients count on now?
The fact that the Ministry of Health and the National Health Fund withdrew from rehabilitation programs dedicated to COVID-19 does not mean that patients struggling with complications after infection will be unable to undergo such therapy. From April 5, they can both count only on standard outpatient rehabilitationincluding systemic, pulmonary and neurological treatments. Such rehabilitation is financed by the National Health Fund under standard contracts.
Have you been infected with COVID-19 and are worried about the side effects? Check your health by completing a comprehensive research package for convalescents.
Importantly, people who received a referral for rehabilitation before April 5, 2022, can still do so. They have until June 30 this year. The same applies to patients who are already undergoing rehabilitation.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to the problems of the perineum – a part of the body just like any other. And although it concerns all of us, it is still a taboo subject that we are often ashamed to talk about. What do hormonal changes and natural births change? How not to harm the pelvic floor muscles and how to care for them? How do we talk about perineal problems with our daughters? About this and many other aspects of the problem in a new episode of the podcast.
You may be interested in:
- POTS is becoming more frequent. This complication from COVID-19 surprised doctors
- New complications have been discovered after COVID-19. “We don’t want to hear about it, but it’s important”
- Cerebral fog after COVID-19 – what is it and how to deal with it? [WE EXPLAIN]