Local governments and the Ministry of Defence will join forces in a joint initiative Military Friendly Hospitals, which, on the 1 hand, is to supply better wellness care to soldiers and their families, and on the another hand, prepare civilian hospitals in case of war and crisis. – The first contracts will be signed within 2-3 weeks – declared Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamish.
Deputy Prime Minister, National Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz met present in Warsaw with local governments representing regions where there are institutions curious in participation in the Military Friendly infirmary program. “The Polish army is increasing, we are already the 3rd largest army in NATO. And the larger army is simply a request for greater availability of wellness care for soldiers and their families," said Deputy Prime Minister Kosiniak-Kamish. Among the participants of the gathering were local governments from the east part of the country. “You are a group chosen by us either due to the location or the strength of the individuals that are on your territory,” he explained. The head of the MON added that account was besides taken of the investment needs of the region and the request to make there military wellness services. He noted that in the first phase of the program, respective of the more than 300 districts will participate. Cooperation agreements are to be signed within the next 2 to 3 weeks.
What will soldiers gain?
Military Friendly Hospitals are to be civilian facilities that will offer peculiar support to persons associated with armed forces. The scope of this support has not yet been specified in detail. The speech is about, among others, a non-rail strategy for active service soldiers. However, they are not the only beneficiaries of the programme. It is besides intended to include territorials, military families, combatants, veterans and veterans-who are affected by activities outside the country. Military Friendly Hospitals would besides join support facilities Military household Charter. This is simply a task modeled on the large household Charter, which has been under improvement since the end of last year. The proposed provisions presume that the benefits will apply to areas within 3 groups of entities: the Ministry of National Defence, the government sector and the private sector and local governments – on a voluntary basis. The second point would include the Military Friendly Hospitals.
What do hospitals get?
During the meeting, they wondered how civilian hospitals had to be prepared, to be ready to receive patients during a possible crisis. The debate participants have repeatedly stressed that in the current geopolitical situation Civil hospitals must be prepared to operate during war or crisis. “We invited you here as infirmary directors to be the forerunner of this way of reasoning for your staff: what if...? How do we prepare? Who can support us logistically? Do we have safe medicines, dressings and another means? – said Colonel Arkadiusz Kosowski, manager of the Department of Military wellness Service in MON. And here they come with aid military medics who will share their cognition and experience with the Military Friendly Hospitals. MON wants to offer hospitals martial medicine training and another needs. Military Friendly Hospitals will besides be given the chance to support the civilian protection plan and participate in the programme “The Tartar East”. The support for their improvement is besides intended to include backing from the eHealth programme, in which EU funds are allocated to support the IT sphere in medicine.
Local governments open to military cooperation
Local authorities see in cooperation with armed forces an chance to make local medical facilities and are open to cooperation. – Our territory is westward, but within an hr we have 3 large military units and an airport in Swidwin. We're ready to run a specialist military counseling. We have the chance to support the psychiatric, neurological, as well as rehabilitation troops – declared Paweł Wiśniewski, the politician of Białagard. According to local government representatives, the improvement of MON-supported clinics and facilities is besides good news for residents who will be able to usage the aid of specialists and modern equipment.
Participants raised the issue of backing hospitals, which for long has been 1 of the biggest challenges for local governments in managing local resources. – Only the territory of Włodawski will gotta allocate PLN 10 million to the functioning of the region infirmary in Włodaw. On the scale of the full Lublin Voivodeship, local governments should book PLN 100 million for region hospitals. These are the maintenance costs of operating blocks and general surgery units, which, in a conflict situation, will support soldiers and border defender officers, but which are now besides serving, due to the fact that after all, We've had cases of soldiers injured with Concertine.who have just been sent to our surgical units," said Mariusz Zańko, the politician of Włodawski. He hoped that the financial participation of the MON would relieve the burden on local government budgets.
