Director of the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Prof. Henryk Skarżyński, took part in the debate entitled “Regional Health Programs in Local Government Policy”, held during this year’s Economic Forum in Krynica, on September 4, 2018.

Health policy programs implemented by local governments are an important aspect of public health, since local governments know best the needs and expectations of local communities and how to effectively reach the patient. Regional health programs also provide an opportunity for the application of modern and innovative methods of treatment to satisfy health needs. However, their implementation requires consent and cooperation in terms of financing, policy and health protection. The panel participants presented ways to implement health policy programs by local governments and the possibilities of financing such initiatives.

During the debate, Prof. Henryk Skarżyński presented the assumptions and already achieved effects of the “Health First” program. The program is aimed at combining medical knowledge and experiences of over a dozen specialists in various fields of medicine, health care and mass media for the promotion of preventive examinations allowing early detection of civilization diseases and encouraging to pro-health attitudes.

– The core of the Program are free of charge hearing tests for children, adults as well as senior citizens, combined with consultations of other specialists. The activities implemented under the Program combine diagnostics of hearing disorders with other issues in areas such as: ophthalmology, cardiology, pediatrics, dentistry, jaw surgery, periodontology, urology, psychiatry and other fields of medicine. A multidisciplinary approach means that one specialist is supported by another specialist. This enables them to perfectly complement each other and ensures better access to specialized care. Some of us have a lot of experience in various specializations and can be a role model for others. – said Prof. Henryk Skarżyński, Director of the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, during the panel.

“Health First” is a program addressed to families. It is important that such meetings organized in various Polish cities, for example on the occasion of the “Summer with Radio” concerts or other events, were attended by whole families, children, teenagers and seniors, so that we could show and encourage them to more healthy lifestyle.

– We care a lot about establishing generational solidarity, emphasizing that without family support today no system of care would provide us with everything we need, which will enable the use of the latest achievements of science and medicine. – added Prof. Henryk Skarżyński.

The implementation of the above tasks is not only prevention, but also the possibility of early detection of many diseases that can be controlled or cured at this stage. Early detection and early launch of treatment are far more cost-effective from the point of view of pharmacoeconomics and can fully compensate for the outlays incurred for preventive examinations, including universal screening tests.

Other participants in the debate were: Izabela Damboń-Kandziora (Director of the Department of Health – Governor’s Office of the Opolskie Province – Poland), Janusz Meder (Head of the Treatment Ward, Lymphoma Clinic – Oncology Center  – Maria Skłodowska-Curie Institute in Warsaw – Poland), Jaroslaw Pinkas (Chief Sanitary Inspector, Director of the Public Health School of the Postgraduate Medical Education Center – Poland), Józefa Szczurek-Żelazko (Secretary of State – Ministry of Health – Poland).

During this year’s Economic Forum in Krynica, the attendees had an opportunity to learn about a special diagnostic and rehabilitation capsule created in the World Hearing Center of the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing. The capsule equipped with a set of tools enables diagnostics of many sensory organs – hearing, sight, balance, smell, taste and speech organs. Until now, to obtain a holistic diagnosis, patients had to visit several specialized centers. The mobile capsule, which can be set, for example, in a shopping center, makes screening simpler and more efficient than ever before, as the Forum participants could directly experience it.