Robert Skowronek, director of the District Hospital in Sochaczew, is warning about changes within the National Health Fund (NFZ) that are detrimental to patients. According to the physician, delayed payments for tests, up to a year, and new financial restrictions will block access to modern diagnostics.
Queues and restrictions. Hospital director on a “catastrophic situation”
Dr. Robert Skowronek, who serves as director of the District Hospital in Sochaczew, warns against the changes being introduced by the NFZ.
“At present, changes are being made to the financing system. These mainly concern specialized, high-cost examinations. The introduction of limits and payments delayed by a year will lead to patient backlogs and will drastically extend waiting times for tests,”
Dr. Skowronek warned on X.
The director of the District Hospital in Sochaczew also spoke during “consultations on the catastrophic situation in the healthcare system,” organized in the Polish parliament by Law and Justice.
As the director explains, the situation will result in patients being redirected to Emergency Departments (SORs), where a lump-sum payment system applies. If a hospital receives, for example, PLN 10 million for its emergency department, it cannot request additional funding, even if its services are worth PLN 100 million.
“You were given PLN 10 million, you are expected to deliver services worth PLN 100 million, and do not argue. I am not aware of any legal provision that would allow me, after exhausting a 12-month lump sum, to close the hospital, for instance, in October. Moreover, I have employees on employment contracts, so I continue to incur costs,”
the doctor said.