Head of WOŚP: The foundation buys equipment for hospitals, the state is supposed to maintain the system

The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity buys equipment for hospitals, and the state's task is to maintain the system. Such complementarity works, as long as the state does not fail, Jerzy Owsiak, president of WOŚP, told PAP.

The president of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, Jerzy Owsiak, told PAP that the foundation has redefined its priorities. These are five areas: oncology, children's diagnostics and rehabilitation, simulation centers for doctors and first aid training.

– After 34 years of activity according to a scheme well known to Poles – Final for a given field of medicine, purchase of equipment, settlement and another goal – now we want to look at the needs of Polish health care cross-sectionally and act in more broadly defined areas – he explained.

He noted that in the beginning of its activity, the Orchestra bought hospitals the necessary basic equipment needed “right now”. – In the following years, we were able to equip hospitals with more and more advanced and modern equipment. We were guided by the belief that thanks to this we would bring further fields of pediatric medicine to a level that would be unavailable without our support. And so in subsequent areas this increasingly higher ceiling has been achieved. This is a good time to start acting a little differently, he said.

The Head of the Orchestra emphasized that the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity still intends to create and maintain the highest standards of medicine. – The starting point will not change, i.e. the question we ask ourselves every year when defining the Final: where is the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity's help most needed? We will continue to discuss them among ourselves and ask experts about them, he assured.

Jerzy Owsiak talked about relations with the Ministry of Health.

– Over the years, we have also learned one thing: we cannot count on the Ministry of Health to be our partner in everyday work. If cooperation happens, we are very happy. But it usually ends with conversations. That's why we do our job and don't wait, he admitted.

He noted that the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity asked the Ministry of Health about financing services for children due to the limitation of financing for some diagnostic tests performed above the limit. – In the coming weeks, we will make further purchases of equipment with a market value of PLN 80-90 million. If we received an answer that the cuts also apply to children's medicine, our conversations with hospitals would look different, because they would have to answer the question how they would finance research on the equipment donated by WOŚP, if this source was not the National Health Fund. Many would have a huge problem with this, he said.

He emphasized that WOŚP must be sure that its support will be properly used. – We do not buy tomographs and MRI scanners for millions of zlotys just to let them stand idle – he pointed out. – I admit that today we have a different approach to relations with the Ministry of Health than before. We have become accustomed to the fact that it is a difficult to control behemoth with a million problems, difficult and sometimes no communication at all. This is the case with the current Minister of Health, with whom we have no contact, he added.

Jerzy Owsiak admitted that the decision of the National Health Fund and the Ministry of Health to pay less than before for certain excess tests “cuts your wings and at times raises the question about the meaning of all this.”

– If it was going to waste, why buy this equipment? For me it is clear who has what to do and what responsibility to fulfill. We buy equipment for hospitals, which we agree on with the public at each Finale. The state has its job: to maintain the system. The National Health Fund's money goes primarily to salaries, procedures and everyday functioning of hospitals. We can do something different – allocate all the money collected for modern equipment and medical programs. I believe that such complementarity works, as long as the state does not fail, he emphasized.

Commenting on the result of the last Final, during which the foundation collected PLN 263 million, almost PLN 25 million less than a year earlier, the leader of WOŚP said: – It is still a lot of money that we will spend as best as we can. This sum shows how many people are with us.

Anita Karwowska (PAP)

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