On Wednesday, March 19th, the White Summit of medical professionals and the government finally came to an end after two months of futile discussions. The summit was conceived to elaborate some common resolutions, acceptable by the government, and capable of solving at least a couple of major challenges that Polish healthcare system faces. Some of the recommendations do not raise any objections. Why the summit turned out to be a failure then?
The parties addressed 4 major areas: legal status of the "independent healthcare facilities" (mostly hospitals), finance sources, patient empowerment and human resources. Views at many topics were common for partners: that hospitals should become companies regulated by the commercial law (however, unions raised concerns about prospective privatization), that public and private entities should be equally treated by the public payer, that public hospitals should be allowed to contract medical services privately provided that that would not lengthen waiting lists, that farmers should pay health insurance premiums on general principles and so on. Labour unions raised their doubts about private health insurance.
The Prime Minister ruled out the very idea of patient co-payment, rejected many of the submitted demands on a charge that professional groups are attempting to make their own deals, what caused split among the signatories of the final document. Physicians refused to take part in proceeding with drafts submitted by the government. The agreement fell apart. Donald Tusk announced that the government would increase compulsory health insurance premium by one percentage point. End of the long-announced reform?
Posted at polarwombat.wordpress.com on March 20, 2008.
The parties addressed 4 major areas: legal status of the "independent healthcare facilities" (mostly hospitals), finance sources, patient empowerment and human resources. Views at many topics were common for partners: that hospitals should become companies regulated by the commercial law (however, unions raised concerns about prospective privatization), that public and private entities should be equally treated by the public payer, that public hospitals should be allowed to contract medical services privately provided that that would not lengthen waiting lists, that farmers should pay health insurance premiums on general principles and so on. Labour unions raised their doubts about private health insurance.
The Prime Minister ruled out the very idea of patient co-payment, rejected many of the submitted demands on a charge that professional groups are attempting to make their own deals, what caused split among the signatories of the final document. Physicians refused to take part in proceeding with drafts submitted by the government. The agreement fell apart. Donald Tusk announced that the government would increase compulsory health insurance premium by one percentage point. End of the long-announced reform?
Posted at polarwombat.wordpress.com on March 20, 2008.
