Funding to support Hospital Emergency Departments (‘SORs’), under the Medical Fund, will be increased to PLN 1.5 billion. “These financial resources are concrete support for the modernisation, reconstruction and retrofitting of SORs and diagnostic laboratories cooperating with SORs”, said Health Minister Katarzyna Sójka.

This is good news for directors, SOR staff, but above all for Polish women and men. Historically large funds will be allocated towards renovating and modernising emergency departments, thanks to which patients will soon feel a significant improvement in the quality of treatment, safety and comfort.

“In SORs, diagnostic equipment and apparatus supporting the patient’s vital functions are used 24 hours a day – often without any break, hence they wear out quickly. This is why the Medical Fund’s resources will largely be allocated to modern and easy-to-use apparatus and to equipment accelerating diagnostics, which will shorten recovery times and often save lives”, said the head of the Ministry of Health.

Deputy Health Minister Marcin Martyniak also addressed the issue. “This is another milestone in the co-financing of the healthcare sector and at the same time the first settled competition from the funds of the sub-fund for the modernisation of healthcare entities, which is dedicated to supporting hospital emergency departments in the scope of reconstruction and retrofitting. As many as 207 out of a total of 243 SORs submitted applications worth PLN 2.6 billion, i.e. as many as 85% of facility directors saw the need for additional funds in this area”, explained Martyniak.

The Ministry of Health decided to finance 152 applications, i.e. almost two thirds of all SORs in Poland. This was made possible by increasing the amount originally earmarked for the competition from PLN 750 million to almost PLN 1.5 billion.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński