Patients decide: Public consultation on health care

A public consultation. What is it?

A public consultation is a process in which We - Patients have the opportunity to speak on matters that concern and interest us.

A public consultation is a form of dialogue, which aims at a constructive exchange of opinions, attitutes and proposals from interested persons and institutions.

A public consultation is a manifestation of direct democracy, in which we take an active part in the legislative process and comment on the plans of people of power. A public consultation is our right. Their conduct is also the responsibility of public authorities, which should ensure the necessary organisational and legal conditions for active participation.

A public consultation is the ability to align with the real problems. By participating in the consultations we can have an impact on the decisions taken in parliament more than once every four years at an election urn.

Patients – you don't know how much you can do!

Health is a subject, close to all of us. Reforms in this area often have a direct impact on our health, our lives and the health and lives of our loved ones.

The consultation is not a one­time initiative, but a constant in the legislative process. It also depends on your commitment, whether decisions about the shape of the new regulations in health care will be taken in the privacy of offices or with the active participation of the social partners at every stage of the legislative process.

Speaking up is worth the effort for the proposed changes to reflect the real needs of Polish patients.

Your voice is important. Participating in the consultation is taking charge of your health!

What are we consulting?

• legislation drafts and assumptions to them
• drafts of implementing regulations
• drafts of other acts (eg. orders of the President of the National Health Fund)
• drafts of public documents defining public policies (plans, programs, policies)

Why do we need consultations?

Public consultations give us the opportunity to submit comments, opinions or proposals at an early stage of the development of new regulations.

Consultations serve to:

• build civil society through constructive dialogue
• creating more thought out and socially acceptable solutions which comply with the diverse needs of all concerned parties
• inform all groups of stakeholders of the sense and aim of the proposed solutions as well as of their possible consequences
• simplify and improve the quality of legislation by capturing early possible loopholes and mistakes

The public consultation isn't a passive acceptance of previously imposed solutions and decisions. It is an active participation in their co-creation.

How to speak up?

Via public consultation portal: www.konsultacje.gov.pl

The government's Public Consultation Portal is a platform created within the pilot programme, which aims to facilitate social dialogue with the use of modern tools.

Ultimately, the portal is suppose to be the main channel of communication in the course of public consultation.

Participation in consultations via portal is possible for both institutions and non­governmental organisations as well as individuals.

If you want to individually comment on the projects posted on the portal, first you need to log in with a Trusted Profile to ePUAP Platform.

To every legislation draft posted on the website you can submit your comments through a form prepared for this particlular purpose.

Posted comments are visible to other portal users, which allows to easily follow the discussion.

Via the Government Legislation Centre's (RCL) website: www.konsultacje.gov.pl

RCL (the Government Legislation Centre's) website contains links to legislation drafts and regulations that are subjet to the work of the Council of Ministers and individual ministers, including the Minister of Health. The service enables familiarizing oneself with the projects of individual acts, checking at what stage of the legislative process they currently are, who was consulted it the process and what were the results of these consultations.

Each project has attached letters addressed to the consultation as well as copies of correspondence addressed by individual organisations in the course of the consultation. Thanks to this solution it is possible to see to whom the project was sent to and what was the consultation process. There you will find important addresses, where to submit comments and observations on the project.

On the website of the Public Information Bulletin of the National Health Fund (NFZ): www.nfz.gov.pl/bip

Headquarters of the National Health Fund regularly publishes on its website draft decrees of the Fund's President. Therefore, any interested person has the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the planned changes and to send their comments. Every time a draft is published the Fund includes it an e­mail for sending your feedback.

More about the public consultations: