The Supreme Medical Chamber (NIL) is not retracting its statements about the situation of oncology patients in Poland. Earlier, the Prime Minister accused doctors of “playing a political game.” In response to Donald Tusk’s remarks, NIL presented official data from the National Health Fund (NFZ).
For a long time, Niezalezna.pl has been reporting on the dire condition of Polish hospitals. There is a shortage of funds to treat Polish patients, resulting in procedures being postponed and some hospital departments being closed. The issue generating the most concern is oncology-related, among others, according to the Supreme Medical Chamber, which states that patients are being turned away from hospitals.
Alleged “political game”
On Friday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk dismissed these reports. “This is a lie; we have already corrected this information,” the head of government said.
Referring to statements made on the subject by Jakub Kosikowski, spokesperson for the Supreme Medical Council, he said: “I know this statement; he withdrew it because it was immediately corrected. He did not provide a single example.”
He added that using such an argument is vile when there are no such facts. “This is exploiting seriously ill people, a political game,” he charged.
NIL presents data
On Saturday, the Supreme Medical Chamber responded to the Prime Minister’s remarks in a statement posted on X. “Unfortunately, we are forced to stand by our words; as evidence, we attach official NFZ data regarding the first available admission dates in oncology and hemato-oncology wards in Poland. Some of these coincide with information provided to us by doctors about patients being asked to begin treatment at another facility,” the statement reads.
The post included scans showing the earliest possible admission dates for clinical oncology/chemotherapy wards and hematology wards in specific hospitals. The dates listed are January 2026, February, and even April.
“We are aware that the Ministry of Health has issued a directive prohibiting delays in oncology drug programs, but the financial situation of many hospitals is very poor. The scale of patient deferrals relative to scheduled surgeries or non-oncology drug programs is indeed not large, but unfortunately, according to our information, it is not zero,” NIL added.
The organization expressed hope that the Prime Minister’s statement, that such situations will not occur, will, in fact, ensure that no patient in Poland will have to wait so long to be included in an oncology drug program.
“We fear that the Prime Minister is simply not being informed about the real situation of the Polish healthcare system,” the statement concludes.