Three Polish hospitals—Mogilno, Myślenice, and Aleksandrowo Kujawskie—were excluded from receiving funding under the National Recovery Program (KPO), with a court ruling highlighting systemic bias and opacity in the process.
Funds from the KPO: Extra Points in Certain Regions
The portal “Wirtualna Polska” highlights cases of three hospitals in Mogilno (Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship), Myślenice (Lesser Poland Voivodeship), and Aleksandrowo Kujawskie (Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship). These institutions participated in a competition to secure funds from the National Recovery Program (KPO), which allocates 1.3 billion złoty. Additionally, the Ministry of Health added 300 million złoty. The goal of the investment is to develop geriatrics, long-term care facilities, and nursing homes. The portal notes that the competition initially granted extra points to hospitals in eight voivodeships: Lublin, Podlaskie, Podkarpackie, Świętokrzyskie, Opole, Łódzkie, Silesian, and Warmian-Masurian. However, it remains unclear why these regions were prioritized.
“Absurd” Evaluation Process
The hospital in Myślenice sought 19 million złoty to rebuild its nurses’ hotel into a long-term care facility (ZOL), aiming to create 20 new beds for elderly patients who do not require further hospitalization but also cannot be discharged due to lack of alternative care. According to director Adam Styczeń, “We need beds for emergencies when patients require hospitalization. Now, many there need care only.” The request was approved, but the hospital failed to secure enough points to claim the funds. After lodging an appeal, the Ministry of Health led by Izabela Leszczyna ignored it entirely. Styczeń criticized the decision: “It’s absurd. The ministry didn’t even tell us our scores in each criterion, yet now they blame us for not knowing what to appeal.”
Court Ruling: Lack of Transparency and Integrity
The hospital’s directors appealed the ministry’s decision to the administrative court. On July 3, the court ruled that the Ministry of Health violated impartiality principles, as the same employee denied funding and rejected the appeal. Additionally, the court found the ministry’s evaluation lacked transparency, sincerity, and clarity—it did not explain to hospitals why points were deducted. Critics argue the ministry unreasonably required hospitals to know their scores to file an appeal, despite not providing them. The court also rejected the ministry’s claim that the Myślenice hospital’s application failed due to insufficient funds, as it offered no evidence. Shortly after the appeal, an additional 300 million złoty was added to the competition pool.
Officials Overlooked Documents
The hospital in Mogilno also challenged the ministry’s decision, as its application was rejected for unmet formal requirements, including an alleged lack of documents. The article states that the documents were submitted but missed by ministry officials. The hospital won its case at the Regional Administrative Court, forcing the ministry to re-evaluate its application.
Hospital in Aleksandrowo Kujawskie Moves to the Supreme Administrative Court
The hospital in Aleksandrowo Kujawskie faced a similar situation. However, unlike Myślenice, it lost its case at the Regional Administrative Court. The court emphasized that the hospital failed to specify its objections in the appeal. Director Mariusz Trojanowski criticized the ministry: “I couldn’t point out the ministry’s specifics because they didn’t provide the detailed evaluation of my application. So first they tell me why points were deducted, and then they claim I don’t know. That’s paranoia.”
Source: Gazeta, Wirtualna Polska
