Warsaw deputy mayor: Not every hospital shortcoming can be fixed overnight

Warsaw’s municipal hospitals are operating without major disruptions, but their stability depends on more than having enough doctors on duty. It also requires nurses, paramedics, diagnosticians, pharmacists and other medical staff to work as a coordinated chain.

Izabela Marcewicz-Jendrysik, Warsaw’s deputy mayor, said hospitals currently provide services around the clock, as required by their contracts with Poland’s National Health Fund. Hospital directors have not reported major problems maintaining operations, she said, while warning that temporary staffing difficulties can still create tension.

Infrastructure and equipment pose another daily risk. A failure involving major laboratory analyzers, servers or other essential equipment could disrupt the hospital’s entire workflow. Marcewicz-Jendrysik said a break in any link can affect the continuity and availability of care.

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All hospitals are operating without disruption, providing services around the clock, as required by their contracts with the National Health Fund.

The financial picture is more troubling. Some hospitals face serious difficulties, while others are coping relatively well, but financial results are deteriorating at almost all municipal medical facilities. A large volume of unpaid care delivered beyond contracted limits is contributing to cash-flow problems.

Marcewicz-Jendrysik said a negative financial result does not automatically show poor management. She pointed to the structure of services, National Health Fund contracts, state-set treatment valuations, the fund’s ability to pay and the availability of neighboring providers. The city can act where changes are possible immediately, she said, but not every shortcoming can be corrected overnight.

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Not every shortcoming or deficiency can be removed overnight. That does not mean, however, that action can wait. Where a change can be introduced immediately, it should be done.