Opposition party calls for inspection of Warsaw's temporary hospital
Poland’s main opposition grouping has filed a motion demanding the country’s Supreme Audit Office inspects a temporary Covid-19 hospital at Warsaw National Stadium owing to empty beds and the apparent high costs of treating patients at the facility.
Poland’s main opposition grouping has filed a motion demanding the country’s Supreme Audit Office inspects a temporary Covid-19 hospital at Warsaw National Stadium owing to empty beds and the apparent high costs of treating patients at the facility.
Cezary Tomczyk, who heads the Civic Coalition’s parliamentary caucus, said that some on average only a few dozen patients have been treated at the stadium hospital despite it boasting 700 beds.
"There is plenty of equipment there, which begs the question whether there is enough equipment in other hospitals," he added.
He also said the daily cost of keeping an intensive care bed ready is PLN 3,773 (EUR 844) at the National Stadium, compared to just PLN 200 (EUR 45) for a standard Warsaw hospital.
"There are plenty of questions to be asked, but very few answers," he continued, adding that "the national hospital has been operating without an agreement for 50 days now."
The demands for an inspection will darken a cloud of controversy hanging over the hospital. A flagship in the government’s fight against the virus most of its beds have remained empty while other hospitals in the capital have reported intense pressure on their Covid wards.
Michał Szczerba, another opposition MP, said the temporary hospital boasts 74 ventilators, of which none has been used yet, but at the same time Warsaw hospitals have a total of 40 ventilators for Covid-19 patients.
Opposition MPs also want to know why, allegedly, when there are just 60 patients at the hospital, its management is collecting PLN 629,000 a month.
Dr Artur Zaczyński, who oversees medical care at hospital, told PAP he was not afraid of a potential visit by the Supreme Audit Office.
"What the MPs are saying is pure emotion based on political reasons," he said. The small number of patients is due to the fact that the temporary hospital will only be filled when other hospitals run out of beds, he added.
