The hospital in Choszczno, which hoped to receive EU funds for new diagnostic equipment, must prepare special training for its staff “on issues concerning LGBTQ+ individuals”. When asked about the matter, the facility emphasized that “this is not an optional initiative undertaken by the Hospital, but a requirement in this specific competition.” – This is sick! – commented PiS MP Dariusz Matecki.
The hospital received funds for equipment, but must conduct LGBTQ+ training
PiS MP Dariusz Matecki reported on this alarming issue at the end of November this year.
I thought that very little could still surprise me in today’s EU and in “smiling Poland”. The hospital in Choszczno is to receive funds for diagnostic equipment. But what must it do to get this funding? “Training for medical personnel and non-medical employees in AOS on issues concerning LGBTQ+ individuals” – the PiS politician warned.
Detailed information about the project was published on the hospital’s website. It stated that as part of the project, the hospital will receive funds to modernize one of the facilities, where four specialized outpatient clinics will be established. Additionally, it includes equipping the ENT, urology, and obstetrics-gynecology clinics with modern diagnostic equipment.
The most interesting part, however, concerns the LGBTQ+ training that is to be one of the elements of the entire undertaking.
“As part of the project, we also plan to conduct training for medical personnel and non-medical employees in AOS on issues concerning LGBTQ+ individuals. The aim of the training is to increase staff competence in understanding the problems and needs of this social group, as well as to promote attitudes of respect, empathy, and professionalism in relations with LGBTQ+ patients,” the hospital stated.
The PiS MP announced he would intervene in the matter and asked the facility specific questions.
“I will find out what this training is supposed to involve, who will profit from it, and whether the hospital must do this to receive the funds?” he said.
The hospital responds
Today, the politician reported that he received an answer to his questions. In response to the question “Is conducting the training a condition for receiving EU funds?”, the hospital replied:
“Yes – planning actions aimed at improving access to healthcare services for individuals from LGBTQ+ communities, including actions raising staff awareness concerning groups vulnerable to discrimination, follows directly from the competition documentation.”
It was further emphasized that “this means it is not an optional initiative undertaken by the Hospital, but a requirement in this specific competition as part of the substantive qualifying criteria; failure to plan such actions would result in not meeting the criteria and the application being rejected from further evaluation.”
Regarding the requirement to plan such actions, SP ZOZ in Choszczno relied on publicly available competition documentation (Regulamin naboru, Attachment 1 Criteria), published by the Managing Authority. As of the response date, SP ZOZ in Choszczno had not conducted separate correspondence devoted solely to this training. The obligation results directly from the competition documents, not from any individual recommendations addressed to our Hospital, the facility underlined.
“Worse than communism”
Jerzy Kwaśniewski, President of the Board of the Ordo Iuris Institute, commented on the matter on social media.
“Worse than communism. Even saving patients’ lives must be conditioned on accepting ritual training of doctors, paramedics, nurses in ‘LGBTQ+ sensitivity’. Whoever refuses the ideology – will not save lives. Let the obscurantists die!” he wrote.