A non-functioning hospital worth almost PLN 30 million. NIK notifies the services

The notification submitted by the Supreme Audit Office concerns the suspicion of committing a crime by former West Pomeranian voivodes. “As a result of inspection activities at the West Pomeranian Voivodeship Office, activities that may constitute crimes were found, which concerned the conclusion of a contract for the organization of a temporary hospital at the Netto Arena facility in Szczecin,” we read in the release.

At that time, places for Covid-19 patients were created in the “M” building of the Independent Public Clinical Hospital No. 2 of the Medical University of Warsaw, and according to the Supreme Audit Office, there were a sufficient number of hospital beds available in the voivodeship for patients requiring treatment for Covid-19.

The temporary hospital did not admit any patients

Throughout its operation, the temporary hospital in Netto Arena in Szczecin did not admit any patients, and at one point it was transformed into a vaccination point. In total, over 80,000 vaccinations were performed, and the site was closed in May 2021.

When the temporary facility was being closed, the West Pomeranian Voivode, Zbigniew Bogucki, said that “the temporary hospital in Netto Arena was created to repel a possible wave of threat.” – I am surprised by the voices that the money was spent and no patients were admitted. As I understand it, we should be happy that the third wave in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship did not hit it as hard as other voivodeships, where all passive hospitals were used. Would it be better if patients came here? – he commented.

The cost of the temporary hospital amounted to almost PLN 30 million

As the media calculated at the time, the monthly rent paid for the hall was over PLN 560,000. PLN, facility protection approx. PLN 22,000. PLN, and the utilities connected to it approximately PLN 220,000. zloty. The entire amount was covered from the state budget.

“Despite the establishment of a temporary hospital in the “M” building, the contract for the organization of a temporary hospital in Netto Arena was not withdrawn, which resulted in inappropriate and uneconomical expenditure of funds for the organization and liquidation of the facility in the total amount of PLN 29,162,184.61,” reports the Supreme Audit Office. .

“14 unnecessary temporary hospitals for over PLN 600 million”

This is not the only point that, according to NIK, unnecessarily burdened the state budget. In September, it issued a report titled “14 unnecessary temporary hospitals for over PLN 600 million.” “Temporary hospitals for COVID-19 patients created in Poland since October 2020 on a scale unprecedented in Europe were built without any plan, without a reliable analysis of data on the epidemic situation and the availability of medical staff, as well as without cost calculations,” according to the findings. NIK.

“Even though the then Minister of Health had continuously updated information on the number of infections, hospitalizations and the number of available beds, decisions to establish many of the 33 temporary hospitals were issued without any connection with the current and forecast state of the epidemic in individual voivodeships and throughout the country. Almost PLN 31.5 million was spent on three facilities that were created but were not launched, of which over PLN 29 million was spent on the creation and maintenance of a temporary hospital in the Netto Arena in Szczecin, where not a single patient was admitted,” it was written. in September.