In order to develop an opinion on access to medical services, the NIK has examined the situation in orthopaedic, urological and neurosurgical wards in Polish hospitals. The largest number of patients awaiting a surgery was recorded in the orthopaedic ward of the Research Hospital in Lublin - 2,758 persons. While 1,824 days is the record in awaiting an operation׃ patients who need a hip replacement must wait for such a long time in the hospital in Kościerzyna.
The actual demand for surgeries is higher than the number of operations ordered by the National Health Fund (NFZ). Even if hospitals perform 100 percent of the operations contracted by the NFZ, patients still have to wait. As many as 62 percent of medical centres perform 100 percent of the services ordered or more. So the main reason for long lists of those awaiting surgeries is the lack of money.
Patients awaiting operations are registered on special lists. The NIK’s audit has revealed that these lists are often prepared incorrectly and that the order from the lists is frequently ignored. Hospitals fail to verify the lists, or do it too rarely. As a consequence, patients who have already had operations in other hospitals are still waiting on lists, which makes them longer.
The equipment of hospitals is another reason for the difficult situation of patients waiting for surgeries. Only one-third of hospitals have recovery rooms. In hospitals which do have them, patients after operations are transported there, so that others can be operated on soon. In hospitals that do not have recovery rooms, patients stay in operating theatres until they wake up from narcosis, so it takes time to begin the next operation.
Moreover, 13 percent of the hospitals audited by the NIK lack the sufficient number of doctors and nurses. The managements of hospitals are often unable to solve this problem, mainly because of a small number of specialists on the labour market.
