During today's press conference, the ultimate Audit Chamber presented the results of 3 checks on the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The assessments are unambiguous and very critical of the current government. NIK announces that it will submit a announcement to the D.A. against Jack Sasin Minister of State Acts.
9 billion PLN for covid allowances were outside the control of the Minister of wellness and the NFZ
NIK has negatively assessed the preparation and implementation of the Recommendations of the Minister of wellness on Covid Additives. In 2020-2021, nearly 9 billion PLN was spent on them. The Minister of wellness and the president of the NFZ incorrectly and unsuccessfully supervised both the preparation and implementation of the Recommendations. In addition, they did not control the regularity of the granting and payment of covid allowances and did not respond to the incorrect implementation of the allowances contracts by hospitals and emergency services. According to NIK, there is simply a hazard that the amounts of allowances unduly spent may not be estimated and that recovery of these appropriations will not be possible. Consequently, any of the assets of the COVID-19 Anti-Action Fund will should be considered lost.
The Minister of wellness has allowed crucial shortcomings to happen in the strategy of granting covid additives, which have caused, inter alia, payment of allowances:
- persons not authorised (e.g. in ‘non-covid units’ for contact with a patient only suspected of being infected with SARS-CoV-2);
- several times the same individual for a given period exceeds the limit of PLN 15 1000 (even PLN 41.5 1000 per month);
- in the amount of PLN 15,000 despite only a fewer minutes or a one-time performance of wellness services besides for patients only suspected of being infected with SARS-CoV-2;
- up to 31 medical personnel per covid bed or 23 persons per patient – as a consequence of the explanation of the Minister of wellness that entitlement to the allowance besides afraid medical personnel employed in ‘non-covid’ wards.
The ‘financial tool’ created by the Minister of wellness to support staff providing care to covid patients has been distorted and has become a mechanics for the transfer of ‘additional salaries’ to infirmary staff, which was frequently not entitled to receive them. In the assessment of the NIK, there is simply a hazard that the amounts of allowances may not be decently spent and that the recovery of these appropriations will not be possible and that any of the assets of the COVID-19 Countermeasure Fund will should be considered lost.
At the end of the check-up, NIK sent both the Minister of wellness and the president of the NFZ requests to carry out the check-up, as regards the regularity of the implementation of contracts on additives by medicinal products, in order to enforce the reimbursement of unduly spent funds for allowances in cases of uncovering irregularities in their payment.
14 unnecessary temporary hospitals were built for over PLN 600 million
Temporary hospitals for patients with COVID-19 created in Poland since October 2020 on an unprecedented scale in Europe, were created without any plan, without reliable analysis of data on the epidemic situation and availability of medical personnel, as well as without cost calculation, established the ultimate Chamber of Control.
Although the Minister of wellness at the time had updated information on the number of infections, hospitalizations and the number of beds available, decisions to establish many of the 33 temporary hospitals were issued without any connection to the current and forecast state of epidemics in individual voivodships and across the country. Almost PLN 31.5 million were spent on 3 facilities which were created but which were not launched, of which more than PLN 29 million were spent to establish and keep a temporary infirmary in the Netto Arena hall in Szczecin, where not a single patient was admitted.
Uncoordinated national action has led to an excessive reserve of covid beds and medical personnel in relation to needs. As a result, from March 2020 to April 2022, the cost of maintaining the readiness to supply benefits to patients with COVID-19 in all hospitals adapted to it amounted to about PLN 7 billion, while in the same period, the state spent little than PLN 5 billion on the actual treatment of patients with SARS-COV2 virus. This means that over PLN 2 billion more cost to keep empty infirmary beds and to pay doctors and nurses ready to work, if necessary, than to actually supply assistance to patients (these amounts do not include the alleged covid allowances paid to medical staff for the work done). This proves, according to NIK, the inadequate management of the infirmary care strategy for the prevention of COVID-19 by 2 successive wellness Ministers.
Temporary hospitals, which cost a full of PLN 941.6 million, began to be created in October 2020. The first were created in places previously intended for the provision of medicinal services, but the Minister of Health, without an analysis of the needs for the launch of additional covid beds and related costs, decided to place further specified facilities in large-area facilities - in stadiums, exhibition centres or in sports and amusement halls. The expenditure on 14 specified hospitals amounted to over PLN 612.6 million, or 2/3 of the amount which was allocated to the creation, operation and liquidation of all temporary hospitals in Poland. According to NIK, the detailed analysis available to the Minister of wellness of the data allowed to conclude that even without temporary hospitals in large-area facilities the safe reserve of covid beds was preserved.
Meanwhile, the expenditure on specified hospitals per bed amounted to almost PLN 149 1000 and were twice as advanced as in temporary hospitals created in facilities intended to supply medical services. On the another hand, 4 times higher expenditure on large-area hospitals per patient was almost PLN 36 thousand.
According to NIK, expenditure on specified facilities was not targeted, inefficient and did not produce lasting results in the form of strengthening the infirmary infrastructure of the country. After the end of the operation, all hospitals operating in large-area facilities were liquidated and the dismantled structures and installations could not be reused as a complete building material. In the opinion of the NIK, it was besides unnecessary and unnecessary for the NFZ to spend almost PLN 166 million from the COVID-19 Anti-Fraud Fund to cover the costs of maintaining their readiness to supply benefits.
The creation of an excessive reserve of covid beds together with the staff of medical personnel that were not utilized has not been without affecting the condition of the full infirmary care system. Indeed, it restricted access to infirmary treatment for patients with another diseases than COVID-19. According to authoritative data of the Ministry of Health, by the end of April 2023 over 119.5 1000 people died on COVID-19 in Poland. In turn, the Central Statistical Office reported that in 2020 there were over 67 1000 deaths more than in the erstwhile year, and in 2021 their number exceeded by nearly 154,000 average yearly values over the last 5 years. This excess mortality was both a direct consequence of COVID-19 and a simplification in access to benefits for patients with another diseases.
The NIK took control of 12 temporary hospitals and in the case of 3 Chambers submitted notices to the D.A. 2 of them concern the anticipation of the Minister of State Acts committing a crime, which in an unprofitable way spent over PLN 2.4 million on an uncreated temporary infirmary in the hall ‘Arena Swallow’ in Tarnów.
The next notification is related to the construction of a temporary infirmary in Wrocław and a legitimate suspicion of the crime committed by the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. This includes a contract with a private company for the construction of fresh infirmary facilities, even though the order of the Minister of wellness in this case included the "adaptation of the site and facilities" to the needs of the temporary hospital. Voivod activities caused unjustified expenditure of at least PLN 11.4 million gross.
According to NIK, the temporary infirmary in Wrocław was built in the conditions of the building itself, and the voivods' activities on this investment were chaotic and late. As of 31 December 2021, the costs associated with the organisation and operation of the facility amounted to about PLN 79.4 million. The Central Bureau has besides been informed by the home of the findings of the checks that indicate areas at hazard of corruption.
The last of the submitted notifications concerns an invoice for almost PLN 71,000, which was issued by the company liable for the provision of services to the infirmary of the Ministry of Interior and Administration in Katowice during the period from 25 to 30 November 2020, consisting of comprehensive maintenance of cleanliness in the hospital-adjusted temporary premises of the global legislature Centre, together with distribution of meals and interior transport of patients, waste, dirty and clean underwear. The Ministry of abroad Affairs paid the invoice from the COVID-19 Anti-Activity Fund, although it is clear from the findings of the control of NIK that this period the interim infirmary did not receive a single patient.
COVID-19 in Poland – at first there was chaos
When the first case of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus was detected in Poland in March 2020, liable authorities and institutions of the state, medicinal agents and services were not prepared for the outbreak, due to the control carried out by NIK. Nevertheless, the authorities did not declare the state of disaster, and instead, through the covid speciality they introduced changes to the rules on the basis of which further restrictions, prohibitions and orders were imposed. The peculiar law besides abolished mechanisms to guarantee the appropriate spending of public funds, resulting in the Ministry of wellness and the Prime Minister's Office spending PLN 82.3 million on incomplete, disabled or not gathering Polish standards of respirators. In this case, NIK has submitted 3 communications to the D.A.:
The suspicion of a criminal offence being committed by officials of the Ministry of wellness who led to a contract that was unfavourable to the State Treasury and the public interest with a private company to urgently deliver 50 Draeger Savina 300 respirators. The company delivered the equipment 30 June 2020 for over PLN 10.3 million. The price per part was about 45 1000 euro, while products with the same parameters, the same maker was available at lower prices at the time. In addition, respirators did not meet Polish standards and required changes in instrumentation.
On the suspicion of a criminal offence being committed by officials of the Prime Minister's Chancellery in connection with the conclusion of an agreement with a state-owned company in April 2020. The agreement concerned, inter alia, the acquisition on behalf of the company, but for the account of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Respiratorys, without the company's work to apply the rules on public funds erstwhile purchasing them. As a result, the company bought and then delivered 285 Bellevista 1000e respirators for a full of PLN 45.6 million between 30 April 2020 and 7 November 2020. The price for 1 part ranged from PLN 159 1000 to PLN 159.5, erstwhile products with the same parameters at the time were available on the marketplace at a price of approx. 65 1000 per piece. In addition, purchased respirators did not meet Polish standards. The State Treasury suffered harm of about PLN 27 million.
The Prime Minister's office besides paid the same state-owned company PLN 253,5 1000 gross for the 2 AEONMED X01100000-0226-A respirators delivered in April 2020, despite the fact that the equipment and the day of transportation and the day of payment, as well as at least by 23 June 2021, were inefficient, bearing traces of usage and did not meet Polish standards. The respirators were purchased at an overpriced price and with the exception of public procurement rules and public funds management rules.
The suspicion of a crime committed by the then Deputy Minister of Health, who in April 2020 decided to acquisition 30 JIXI-H-100A respirators without discerning the market, without retaining the form of a written agreement, on the basis of arrangements with the supplier as to the number and kind of commodity covered by the contract, which was incompatible with the Public Finance Act. As a result, the Ministry of wellness had to pay over PLN 3.6 million to the State Treasury for the supply of respirators, even though the devices were not entirely suitable for saving the life and wellness of patients, including those infected with SARS-CoV-2, and this was the reason for the urgent acquisition of respirators without applying public procurement law.
The disadvantages of the respirators purchased, which frequently pose a hazard to patient safety, prevented these devices from being utilized in the fight against the epidemic.
Since a number of regulations introduced on the basis of the circumstantial government rise crucial concerns, The president of the NIK submitted 2 applications to the Constitutional Court for the uncovering of non-compliance with any of its provisions, as well as the alleged amending Act with the Constitution of the Republic of Poland.
On the acquisition by the Ministry of wellness and Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Respiratorys for a full of over PLN 82.3 million NIK submitted 3 notifications to the prosecution.
Jacek Sasin answers the charges
According to Minister Jack Sasin, NIK was drawn into a dirty campaign.
Changing the authority of NIK into small. The head of the home performs at conferences with the organization leader, his son-advisor competes in the election. Bringing the home into a dirty campaign. By the way, if Tusk ruled in Covid, the land would be burned from Poland. And Tusk's cigar ash.
— Jacek Sasin (@SasinJacek) September 12, 2023
nationalists.net/nik.gov.pl
