Health services in Poland

[Jaga]

are still bad. I will write about it soon....

[leslie]

Jaga
Surprised to hear Health Services are 'still bad' in Poland. They must have gone off in the last 12months or so! I had my accident in Krakow in May 2005 and with references to a) a private clinic whose doctor and radiographer treated me very well (with no charge) b) a general hospital, although very busy, I got nothing but excellent help from the doctors there and c) a GP who came to visit me unasked (the hospital had got in touch) - again free - couldn't have been more helpful. So you see I have nothing but good to say for the Polish health services - and in many ways better than in England
Leslie

[pieter]

I am glad that you got a good treatment in Krakow.
I hope that that the public healthcare will improve too.
Hope to hear Jaga's story soon!

[Jaga]

Leslie,

you had an unusual treatment. Are you sure that you were treated in the private clinic with no pay?

The situation in Poland and in America is almost opposite. In America doctors want to push people to as many tests as possible. In Poland is just the opposite, the doctors ignore patients as much as possible. My friend in Zamosc had the acute pain, she should be checked well immediately in the hospital instead her examination and treatment were delayed as much as possible.

[pieter]

admin said:

Leslie,

you had an unusual treatment. Are you sure that you were treated in the private clinic with no pay?

The situation in Poland and in America is almost opposite. In America doctors want to push people to as many tests as possible. In Poland is just the opposite, the doctors ignore patients as much as possible. My friend in Zamosc had the acute pain, she should be checked well immediately in the hospital instead her examination and treatment were delayed as much as possible.

Unfortunately this sounds as like it was in the Peoples republic, my mother
was frustrated about the bad treatment my grandmother received when
she was ill in the last period of her life. And she had been a very strong
and healthy women all of her life. I really hope that the situation will
turn to the better, that the income position of doctors and nurses will
get better, and that the Healthcare braindrain (loss of human capital
to Western-Europe and Norhtern America) will stop.

Pieter

[leslie]

Jaga
Yes I am quite certain of what was happening with me - I would have certainly known if I'd had to come across with a large number of zloty. The general hospital actions without payment were completely understandable because of the EU membership and reciprocal health arrangements. I have a feeling that my no charge private work was something to do with my being an emergency, last case; they were on the point of closing for the day, and from what I could pick up the clinic had had a very good day to that point. I don't know. The GP was under the reciprocal arrangements also.
So being British has a number of advantages - but don't think we get our medical care free - from the age of about 25 and continuing, I have paid income tax from which comes the funding of the National Health Service - so it is far from free if you add up all the tax I have paid over my working life and look at a percentage that would go to the NHS.
Leslie

[Pawian]

admin said:

Leslie, you had an unusual treatment. Are you sure that you were treated in the private clinic with no pay?

That was the case of an accident, and that`s different. I have observed that emergency cases are seen to more carefully than some long treatment with a lot of costly medications.

[joyce]

Revisiting the Health Care services in Poland-Does the Polish government provide any free health care to it's citizens? Does one have to be on governmental assistant or "welfare" to receive it? Are there any state run programs for children who don't have health care? In TX we have a program called "CHIPS"-it is designed for children to receive health care benefits when their parents can't afford health insurance. The program is state funded, meaning the tax payers pay for it.

Private health care insurance is so expensive. If you can afford it, consider your self lucky. Some people have to make that choice of going without insurance and hoping they never get sick. Even with insurance, you get sick and you could go financially broke.

Going to a better quality hospital or clinic may determine the quality of care that you receive.
We have a hospital in our town that lacks in the quality of care. If you are in a car accident, you will be airlifted to one of the bigger cities hospitals where they deal with trauma cases all the time. Our hospital is not the place to be if you need good doctors who know what they are doing to treat you. That's sad to say.
Joyce

[rdywenur]

I guess I am lucky as we have some of the best health care available in my city. So much so that when Clinton was in office, HIllary actually came to check out our HMO's and healthcare here. Ted Turner had his heart operation here as it is one of the best at RGH. When I hear of the treatment my friends get in other states it makes me think twice about moving. NYS has Healthy NY which is an HMO for the unemployed or people that do not have health insurance supplied to them by their employers. You may not be sick...but what happens should you suddenly need to go into the hospital. You could loose everything in a matter of seconds.

[Jaga]

Joyce,

I guess my article about health services in Poland never was actually written, sorry.

Polish healthcare system is free, at least in theory. The US is the only developed country in the world which does not really have a medical insurance in some form for all.

Polish healthcare is not in a good shape, if you want to have a good care you have to pay extra money, tips etc. There were strikes recently.

+++Are there any state run programs for children who don't have health care?+++
all children have free vacinations etc. As I said the healthcare is for all at least in theory.