Health Care Systems on the Brink of Failure – The Impact of War on the Pattern of Emergency Health Care Visits by Ukrainian Refugees in Poland

Abstract

Background/Introduction:

One of the most severe outcomes of the Ukraine war has been the systematic destruction of communities resulting in mass migration of people to Poland. Millions of affected people have arrived in Poland as war refugees requiring medical attention from a fragile health care system overburdened by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study assesses ED utilization in Polish hospitals by Ukrainian refugees.

Objectives:

To assess the impact of Ukrainian refugees on ED utilization in Poland.

Method/Description:

Demographic data, chief presenting complaints, diagnosis, and the level of care needed were registered. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to yield odds ratios (OR) with a 95% confidence interval.

Results/Outcomes:

At the time of investigation, there were 4,000 Ukrainian refugees admitted to Polish hospitals, of which more than half were children. Results are forthcoming.

Conclusion:

Although COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the insufficiency of the Polish health care system, resulting in delayed treatment for many patients, the current mass migration from Ukraine emphasizes the lack of a proper organization for crisis management in Poland. Facing an unprecedented and historic challenge, the Polish health care system, operating at the limit of its capacity, is stretched beyond capacity resulting in excess mortality, which exceeded 200,000 deaths during the pandemic. The impact was directly due to the pandemic or the delay in treating other diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Inconsistency in medical decision making, lack of proper recommendations from the authorities, and organizational insufficiency requires a renewed focus on adaptive capacity and long-term solutions that promote systems resiliency.