Amethyst: Will the Radiation Therapy Centre in Zgorzelec close down?

Ten post jest także dostępny w języku: polski

Amethyst Radiation Therapy Centre in Zgorzelec may cease its activity, informed the company managing the centre. This will take place on 30 April, unless the Lower Silesian National Health Fund announces a competition for the provision of radiotherapy services by that time. The construction of the Centre was completed at the beginning of 2018.  It is located next to the Multidisciplinary Hospital SP ZOZ. The value of the investment, including equipment, amounted to PLN 60 million.

However, the Centre did not start accepting patients. All because the Lower Silesian branch of the National Health Fund did not announce a competition for the provision of services in this area. Therefore, Radiology Therapeutic Center Poland, the company that runs the center, decided to end its activity and move accelerators to another place. Let us remind you that since 2013, the company has also been running a centre in Kraków, operating at the L. Rydygier Hospital.

The possible closure of the centre is very bad news in the context of the growing demand for radiotherapy services in Poland. It will result from an increase in the incidence of cancer. It is estimated that every second oncological patient requires radiotherapy. However, access to radiotherapy has improved in Poland in recent years. According to the data presented in the PMR report, in 2009 there were 385,000 inhabitants per accelerator. In 2016, it was “only” 245 thousand people. According to the latest European recommendations, the ratio of one accelerator per 200,000 inhabitants is one. The value of the radiotherapy market is strongly related to NHF contracting, which accounts for over 95% of the market value.