How to improve medical care?

Wiktor Janicki brought up the Covid-19 pandemic, which has put many people out of the health care system. Lack of access to specialists has worsened the health of many patients. This is referred to as incurring health debt.

- We have witnessed excess mortality in many countries. In addition, the war in Ukraine has brought another group of problems that we need to deal with together at the regional level, noted Wiktor Janicki.

Last year, AstraZeneca, in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the London School of Economics, launched a project that explored the characteristics of sustainable and resilient health systems and the methods of their development. The project involved eight countries, including Poland. Conclusions from the survey were used to discuss improving health systems and cooperation in this area.

The main hurdle to building a sustainable health care system is human resources, i.e. specialists, such as doctors or nurses, financial resources, and access to knowledge on how to implement certain solutions and organise health care structure. Wiktor Janicki pointed out that some barriers can already be crossed.

- Poland has made incredible progress in the digitalisation of its health care system in recent years. We have implemented e-prescription, e-referral, and an individual patient account. Thanks to these changes, our health care system was able to operate smoothly in a situation where some units were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The implementation of e-prescription has improved the functioning of the health care system under these emergency conditions, Wiktor Janicki said.

Advancement in the digitalisation of medical care will provide more accurate records from which it will be possible to extract important information about patients’ health, such as what most often they fell ill with and what the results of their treatment are.

- The possibilities of today’s modern technologies are no longer a barrier to us. The barrier is the resistance and reluctance to implement the technologies. We should look for solutions that will allow us to practice efficiently, he concluded.

Wiktor Janicki mentioned Estonia, which is implementing innovative digital solutions in the health care system.

- Digitalisation is one of the tools that can help solve one of Poland’s human resources problems in health care. We have the fewest doctors and nurses per thousand inhabitants in the European Union. We will not be able to bring about an increase in these resources in the short term. One solution may be to improve access to the health care system and the patients’ engagement, with the help of technology. Examples include banks or e-commerce development, argued Wiktor Janicki.

Wiktor Janicki firmly believes in the development of the digitalisation of the health care system and in the revolution that would help solve the human resources problem we currently face.

- Let’s not forget that patients should be the first and primary beneficiary of regional cooperation. Each country has its own system. Thanks to in-depth analysis, we can draw out what is bad or good for the patient and intelligently adjust certain assumptions to the situation in Poland, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, or Hungary. I believe in the curiosity of patients and their willingness to use such solutions. Nevertheless, a dialogue is needed about the benefits and opportunities, but also about the challenges we will face. This is precisely the kind of discussion we are trying to initiate in order to jointly build a sustainable health care system, claimed Wiktor Janicki.

The idea is to build a dialogue among all stakeholders, going beyond one country to create a broader picture. Involving patients in the process is important and needed down the road.

- Ultimately, it is the experience of every patient in the health care system that we are fighting for, Wiktor Janicki emphasised.

- Notes taken by: Kinga Pawlikowska

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Pewne uniwersalne rozwiązania systemowe można wypracowywać wspólnie, a następnie implementować je, opierając się na konkretnych systemach ochrony zdrowia – twierdzi Wiktor Janicki, prezes AstraZeneca Pharma Poland.

Partner: AstraZeneca Pharma Poland