CoR - Poland Public health

Central

The Ministry of Health is responsible for:

Overall public health policy;
Overseeing the governance of the health sector and its organisation, including major capital investments;
Developing and monitoring guidelines and health care standards;
Supervising the training of health care personnel and medical research;
Funding expensive medical equipment (the responsibility is shared with regions and counties);
Financing certain emergency medical services;
Approving regional medical emergency care plans prepared by the voivodes;
Regulating medical professions;
Coordinating health programmes in accordance with socio-benefit aspects;
Overseeing hospitals (university or ministerial hospitals) in charge of highly specialised medical care (third referral level hospitals);
Supervising the Chief Pharmaceutical Inspectorate (Główny Inspektorat Farmaceutyczny), the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocides (Urząd Rejestracji Produktów Leczniczych, Wyrobów Medycznych i Produktów Biobójczych) and the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate (Główny Inspektorat Sanitarny);
Evaluating access to health care (jointly with the regions).

The National Health Fund is responsible for:

Financing health services provided to holders of public health insurance;
Negotiating and signing contracts for with health care providers; monitoring the implementation of contractual terms and contract accounting (the quality and accessibility of services are influenced by the negotiated terms);
Covering the costs of health care services provided in other EU Member States to Polish citizens (see section 2.9.6).
Accredition of laboratories of the COVID-19 network
Preparation of COVID-19- related recommendations and guidelines to all health institutes
Publication of data related to the COVID-19 pandemics (number of tests, day-to-day information on the state of play)

Monitoring diseases and infection control;
Monitoring biological, chemical and physical risk factors in food, water, and air;
Conducting research and providing expertise to the government, NGOs, and civil society;
Cooperating with public health centres at the regional level and with other medical research institutes and institutions.
Setting up of COVID-19 drive-thru testing point

Regional

Regional authorities are responsible for:

Developing regional strategy and planning;
Health promotion (shared with counties and municipalities);
Responding to medical emergency;
Providing ambulance services;
Managing of public healthcare institutions, maintaining capital investments and performing a range of supervisory and control functions at the regional level;
Administering most health services;
Regional hospitals (specialised services – second referral level hospitals).

County authorities are responsible for:

Operating of public health service institutions;
Leading county strategy and planning;
Health promotion (shared with regions and municipalities);
Managing county public health care institutions, maintaining capital investments and performing a range of supervisory and control functions at the county level;
Managing county hospitals (basic services, i.e. internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics, gynaecology and paediatrics – first referral level hospitals).

Local

Local authorities are responsible for:

Primary health care services;
Managing public health care institutions, maintaining capital investments and performing a range of supervisory and control functions at the local level;
Leading local general strategy and planning;
Services for people with mental disorders;
Health promotion (shared with regions and counties).

Responsible ministries/bodies

Ministry of Health

Regional (voivodship) authorities

County (powiat) authorities

Local (gmina) authorities

Sources:

eHealth Strategies, Country Brief: Poland, drafted by Turowiec, A., Giest, S., Dumortier, J., and Artmann J., October 2010.

European Commission, 2013 Health in Poland