In brief

• The Supreme Audit Office (NIK) assesses care for patients with neurodegenerative diseases as uncoordinated.
• According to the Ministry of Health, about 680 thousand people live with a neurodegenerative disease.
• The lack of standards for home care means the burden of care falls mainly on the families of patients.

A growing number of patients and a growing scale of the problem

The number of people with neurodegenerative disorders is rising, and the problem is becoming one of the major challenges for the healthcare and social assistance systems. The Ministry of Health estimates that about 680 thousand people live with this type of disease (Choroby neurodegeneracyjne w Polsce. Smutne wnioski z raportu NIK – abczdrowie.pl). Of this number, more than 226 thousand people are affected by Alzheimer's disease, which primarily affects seniors, and more than 200 thousand by Parkinson's disease.

What the NIK audit found

The Supreme Audit Office (NIK) points to the fragmentation of state actions toward patients with these conditions. According to the auditors, established standards for home care are lacking, and actions aimed at early detection of dementia disorders are insufficient (Miażdżący raport NIK: cała Polska traci przez choroby otępienne, a rząd od dekady nie robi z tym prawie nic | Strona Zdrowia – stronazdrowia.pl). The early detection program has been discontinued. As a result, many patients reach a specialist late, when the possibilities of treatment and slowing the course of the disease are already limited.

The Sejm took up the report

At Thursday's session of the joint health and social policy and family committees, the audit results were discussed. The Ministry of Health presented its position on the auditors' objections (Setki tysięcy chorych w Polsce. System opieki wciąż ma luki – tvn24.pl). People with neurodegenerative diseases and their relatives still do not receive comprehensive support, and delays affect the organization of assistance.

Care falls on families

The lack of standards in home care means that the burden of everyday care largely rests on the patients' relatives. They organize assistance, often giving up their jobs. NIK identifies this situation as one of the most serious problems of the system (Dwa systemy, jeden pacjent. NIK wskazuje luki w opiece nad osobami otępiennymi – rynekzdrowia.pl).