The ONE HEALTH – JEDNO ZDROWIE Conference occurred on March 25th in the Senate of the Republic of Poland in Warsaw. It was organized by the Health Commission of the Senate of the Republic of Poland and the Policy Council of the “Health of Poles” Congress. During the Congress, the winners of the third edition of the „Perspektywy Medycyny” competition 2023.

It was on that day that the report from the 5th “Health of Poles” Congress in 2023 was presented. Implementing One Health rules in Poland, a new approach to the topic of public health, or establishment of the profession of clinical pharmacist in the health care system – these are only some of the recommendations included in the summary of last year’s edition of one of the key events in the medical field organized by: the Committee of Clinical Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Main Council of the Research Institutes, the World Hearing Center, the Institute of Sensory Organs and the “Po Pierwsze Zdrowie” Foundation (transl. Health First).

The history of the “Health of Poles” Congresses under the honorary patronage of Andrzej Duda, the President of the Republic of Poland began in 2019, and each of its editions tackles important issues from the point of view of the medical industry, and the problems and accomplishments of the medical field.The congress is a joint initiative of the Committee of Clinical Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Main Council of the Research Institutes, university groups, the World Hearing Center, the Institute of Sensory Organs, and numerous experts from the scientific, medical, management, and economic fields. The Policy Council of the “Health of Poles” Congress is headed by Prof. Henryk  Skarżyński, a World-renowned specialist in otosurgery, pediatric and adult otolaryngology, audiology, and phoniatrics.

– Both the report and the post-congress recommendations are important summaries. I am glad that during last year’s edition of this key event for the Polish medical field, we addressed issues that are not only tropical, but also affect whole groups, populations, or even the entire planet. Healthcare cannot rely solely on strategies and mindsets from the past. We ought to implement a more joint, holistic approach, remembering that the human species is only a part of a bigger system.

The Congress cannot replace social dialogue on every level – central, regional, in a hospital, or within a family, but if we don’t realize today that the idea of One Health is not only what we eat, drink, how we study, work and rest, but also what surrounds us – the plant and animal world – we cannot talk about well-being on our planet. That is precisely why the need to promote the concept of one health was put first among the fifteen newest recommendations  – said Prof. Henryk Skarżyński.

Implementing One Health rules in Poland is just one of the recommendations featured in the report from the 5th “Health of Poles” Congress in 2023. Alongside the integrated approach to healthcare, the experts also included a demand for the adoption of an axiom emphasizing the dependence of public health on mental health. They also tackled the issue of obesity among children and school-age youth and presented a list of actions such as conducting population-based monitoring of the prevalence of this phenomenon among the youngest and educational programs targeting entire families.

The newest recommendations featured in the report from the 5th “Health of Poles” Congress in 2023 were presented by: Prof. Romuald Zabielski, a corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Translational Medicine Center of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences; Prof. Janusz Heitzman, Plenipotentiary of the Minister of Health for Forensic Psychiatry, President of the Polish Society of Forensic Psychiatry; Prof. Katarzyna Neubauer, Head of the Department of Dietetics, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology of the Wroclaw Medical University; Prof. Henryk Skarżyński, chairman of the Policy Council of the “Health of Poles” Congress, director of the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing; Prof. Anna Wiela-Hojeńska, Head of the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Wroclaw Medical University, and dr hab. n. med. i n. o zdr. (Ph.D., M.D.) Magdalena B. Skarżyńska, Department of Pharmaceutical Care and Pharmacotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy of Warsaw Medical University, the Institute of Sensory Organs.

The full list of recommendations:

• Implementation of One Health rules in Poland,
• Adopting an axiom emphasizing the dependence of public health on mental health,
• Prevention of obesity among children and school-age teenagers,
• Implementation of the initiative to develop and implement a national, comprehensive, and multi-sectoral communication health strategy by the central government,
• Stopping the growing resistance of microorganisms, including the implementation and strict adherence to hospital infection control procedures,
• Implementation of the profession of clinical pharmacist in the health care system,
• Creation of an efficient healthcare for the elderly and seniors requiring long-term care,
• Closer collaboration between medical, dental, and veterinary doctors in line with the One Health concept,
• Development of emergency organizational solutions in emergency medical services, which can be applicable in extreme situations,
• Undertaking actions aimed at reducing current and future consequences of climate change, as well as creating a balanced food system,
• Introduction of preventive activities plans, which entail contact with nature as a factor promoting physical and mental fitness.
• Collaboration of occupational health units with employers,
• Undertaking measures to maintain a high level of training for future doctors.

The ONE HEALTH – ONE HEALTH conference also featured a gala, during which the awards and honors in the 2023 “Perspectives on Medicine” competition were presented. This initiative aims to promote experts, leaders, and teams that contribute to the improvement of Polish medicine, the elevation of the level of healthcare, and the promotion of health-oriented attitudes. The winners received the awards and congratulations from Prof. Henryk Skarżynski.

– I feel proud that for the second time in a row, we can recognize and award people, whose everyday work contributes to the implementation of modern solutions, new diagnostic methods, and ways of treatment that raise the standard of Polish healthcare. We award not only people, but also whole facilities led by experts, innovative organizational strategies, and therapeutic methods that improve health and the quality of patients’ lives. Once again, I want to congratulate all of this year’s winners – summed up Prof. Henryk Skarżynski.

The awards and distinctions were presented in six categories: health prophylaxis, modern medical education, innovations, and implementations, telemedicine and e-health services, organization–healthcare, and health promotion in media. This year, the chapter also presented three special awards in recognition of the scientific community and patients.