Prime Minister Donald Tusk has not responded to an appeal addressed directly to him by 150 patient organizations. Instead, he instructed the Ministry of Health to reply to the demands outlined in the letter. “The response does not answer a single question,” said the Alivia Oncology Foundation, one of the appeal’s signatories. It is another instance of Donald Tusk disregarding patients. Several months ago, he also refused to accept a petition addressed directly to him calling for the rescue of the hospital in Lesko.
On June 18, more than 150 patient organizations affiliated with the Council of Patient Organizations operating under the Polish Patient Ombudsman – including the Alivia Oncology Foundation – sent an appeal to Prime Minister Donald Tusk calling for the restoration of stability in Poland’s healthcare system. The letter was signed by organizations representing cancer, cardiology, hematology, neurology, psychiatry, and many other patient communities across the country.
“We called for something simple: that healthcare be treated as a national security priority – on par with energy, economic, and social security – and that the decision be made by the Prime Minister. We stated it clearly: ‘We know that the Ministry of Health cannot solve on its own the systemic problems that have accumulated over the years and whose causes extend beyond the authority of a single ministry,'” the Alivia Oncology Foundation said.
Instead of receiving a response from the Prime Minister, the patient organizations were sent a letter from the Ministry of Health that contained no concrete answers to the demands presented in their appeal.
“For the most part, the response avoids the core of the appeal. Instead of a plan, it offers assurances that work is ongoing. Instead of a roadmap and timetable for reaching healthcare spending levels comparable to those of other OECD countries, it explains that such a requirement does not exist in law. Instead of addressing the participation of patient organizations in healthcare reform, it remains silent,” the Alivia Oncology Foundation stated.