Polish patients believe that better access to drugs would reduce morbidity and improve the he alth of the society - according to the TNS OBOP study commissioned by the Globalization Institute.
57 percent of the respondents answered that they did not agree with the statement that in Polandpatientshave the same access todrugsas in other EU countries. Only 4 percent. of respondents strongly agreed with the above opinion. In turn, 59 percent. Poles agree that better access to medicines means a he althier society.
Only 6 percent. Poles definitely do not see any connection between access to modernpharmacotherapyand their he alth.
| Question / answer in percent of respondents | Definitely yes | Rather yes | Not really | Definitely not | I don't know |
| After your last visit to the doctor, were you satisfied with the information provided by the doctor about your he alth? | 19 | 47 | 17 | 9 | 8 |
| How often do you try to heal yourself, e.g. from a cold, before you go to the doctor? | 34 | 45 | 18 | 3 | - |
Source: TNS OBOP, commissioned by the Globalization Institute, September 2006.
At the same time, the research confirmed the results of previous opinions on the he alth service in Poland. A high degree of dissatisfaction with public he alth care services remains: nearly half of Poles have a negative opinion about the public he alth service, and the number of dissatisfied people increases with the requirements of patients.
The research also shows that every third Pole would go abroad for treatment, if the National He alth Fund reimbursed the costs of treatment, which should be considered important information in the light of the recent judgments of the European Court of Justice, ordering the reimbursement of treatment costs abroad to EU patients, in the event that delaying treatment may have an impact on the deterioration of the patient's he alth. The research also revealed the low importance attached by Poles to he alth matters. Only 13 percent. Poles would allocate the prize of PLN 10,000 to invest in their own he alth. The vast majority of respondents would choose consumption, investment in education orsaving.
The survey was conducted in the last weeks of September on a sample of 1,000 respondents.
Foundation Institute of Globalization is a private, free-market institute conducting research in the field of competitiveness, environmental protection, he alth protection and globalization. The institute's council includes, among others, Dr. Marian Tupy from the Washington-based CATO Institute and Dr. Ana Eiras from the Heritage Foundation.
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Research has also shown the great importance of medical knowledge. Every fourth Pole is dissatisfied with information about he alth provided by doctors. At the same time, almost all of us make attempts to self-medicate before seeking medical attention. It is therefore worth considering the he alth effects of the disproportion in knowledge about paramedics and prescription drugs.