Organizacja i finansowanie świadczeń z zakresu opieki paliatywnej i hospicyjnej w Polsce dla osób starszych – stan obecny i wyzwania na przyszłość
The organization and financing of palliative and hospice care benefits for elderly people in Poland – current state and challenges for the future

Summary/Abstract: The ageing of society and the rise of the tumour incidence among elderly people are the major factors indicating there will be an increased need for palliative and hospice care. Therefore, it is imperative to properly prepare for this increase, in terms of both organization and finance. Since 2013, a state-wide, systematic rise of funds allocated for this particular purpose has been observed, however, it transpires that this is still insufficient. Moreover, there is a problem with access to such support, which can result from the inappropriate and uneven redistribution of the funds allocated for palliative and hospice care. With the aim of exploring this issue, the expenditure on palliative and hospice care benefits in Poland, financed by the National Health Fund (NFZ) in the years 2013–2018, was analysed. This analysis was extended with an investigation of the NFZ’s expenditure on the palliative and hospice care benefits per capita, and the percentage of the expenditure on palliative and hospice care in relation to the whole NFZ budget. The article also covers the legal and organizational framework of palliative and hospice care, as well as the financing and the need for such support, and recommendations for the future. In order to answer the following research questions – What is the financial expenditure on hospice and palliative care in Poland? And what is the form of its organization? – the authors analysed the existing data (both statistical and financial) of NFZ and the Polish Ministry of Health.

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