Polish Hospitals Seek to Close 24-Hour Wards Under New Funding Rules

The recent regulation from the Ministry of Health, allowing hospitals to receive funding for closed 24-hour wards for up to two years, has sparked significant concern and action. As reported by Rzeczpospolita, 25 hospitals have already applied to the National Health Fund (NFZ) to "delete a given profile from the security system," effectively signaling the closure or conversion of these vital services.

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A hospital may receive as much money for a two-year period as it previously did for a year of a specific ward's operation, with the difference being that it will not admit a single patient.

While the NFZ has officially approved seven such requests, with more pending, the implications for public healthcare access are profound. The regulation permits hospitals to receive 50% of their previous funding for two years if they convert a 24-hour ward into one offering only scheduled or day-case procedures, or into long-term care. This financial incentive, coupled with the possibility of receiving full funding for two years without admitting any patients, raises serious questions about the future of emergency care in Poland.

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The lump sum is the primary form of settlement that the NFZ conducts with hospitals – it is a predetermined amount that the facility receives for running a specific ward within public healthcare.

The article highlights specific cases, such as the SPZOZ in Kędzierzyn-Koźle, which is considering a complete closure of its ophthalmology ward after converting it to day-case operations. Furthermore, the concentration of 7 pending applications in the Silesian Voivodeship, where a former deputy health minister is involved in hospital restructuring, suggests a coordinated approach to these changes.

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Twenty-five applications from hospitals for so-called 'deletion of a given profile from the security system,' meaning the closure of a 24-hour ward, have been submitted to the National Health Fund.

From our perspective at Rzeczpospolita, this situation underscores a critical juncture for Poland's healthcare system. While the government may frame these changes as necessary reforms or financial optimizations, the reality on the ground is the potential erosion of accessible emergency medical services for citizens. The NFZ's swift approval of initial requests and the sheer volume of applications indicate a trend that could leave many communities with significantly reduced healthcare options, particularly in specialized fields.

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Unofficially, we hear that seven such applications have been processed so far – all positively.