Anna Ziębińska

Health policy programs (HPP) are since 2004 one of the available paths of implementing public health tasks by local government units (LGUs). The design, assessment, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of HPP is regulated by the Act on the provision of health services financed from public funds. In 2009 an obligation to receive opinions on HPP projects from the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariffs (AOTMiT, agency) has been introduced. Considering the increasing trend of HPP projects numbers sent for opinionizing by the Agency, this form of healthrelated activity is more frequently and willingly chosen by local government units. The experience of both LGUs and the Agency related to previously executed HPP in Poland indicates, that despite statutory changes and attempts to clarify the entries regarding this form of public health tasks in Poland, questions and doubts regarding the design, assessment and implementation of HPP still occur. Another issue discussed by the experts is whether HPP should become a mandatory task of local governments or whether they only supplement the public health system. In addition, an important subject of discussion by public health experts concerns the evaluation of health policy programs. There is an emphasis on the importance of designing HPP in a way that ensures implementation and performing actions that bring long-term health effects in the population. It also seems important to support this form of local governments activity in both substantive and financial terms. The Agency is one of the institutions that has an important role to play in supporting local government units in developing HPP projects of the highest quality, which has a direct impact on their effectiveness, satisfying health needs and improving the health of the population.

The Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System is national institution supervised by Minister of Health and funded by government. Agency is an advisory body in the reimbursement process. Agency has an impact on content of benefit basket, not only by evaluating new technologies but also re-evaluating benefit basket. Main goal of Agency is to provide patients access to the most effective and safe technologies. The most important Agency statements concern medical technologies and its modifications, qualification, removal in reference to guaranteed medical services. The Minister of Health, taking decisions about which health technology should be financed by public found, takes into account: recommendations and opinions of President of Agency, opinions and statements of the Transparency Council and the Council for Tariffs Affairs. The Agency’s task is also: setting tariffs for health care services; evaluating diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines prepared by medical societies; preparing opinions about national and local government health care programs.