Image: CHOKCHAI POOMICHAIYA / Shutterstock.com.
Flu season has hit Poland hard, straining the country’s healthcare system.
In response, Health Minister Izabela Leszczyna has requested assistance from European agencies to secure more flu medication.
Leszczyna announced on Monday that flu treatments will be available in pharmacies by midweek. Poland has asked the European Medicines Agency to reallocate 100,000 doses from other countries. A Polish pharmaceutical company has also begun producing flu medication, and foreign suppliers have expedited deliveries, moving shipments from March to February.
To address shortages, the Ministry of Health has approved emergency imports of flu drugs in foreign-language packaging, allowing wholesalers to restock more quickly.
Low flu vaccination rates in Poland have worsened the situation, with only 5 per cent of the population getting vaccinated, one of the lowest rates in the EU. In contrast, 78 per cent of Danes over 65 were vaccinated in 2022, according to Eurostat.
Hospitals Under Pressure
Deputy Health Minister Marek Kos reported that flu cases surpassed 200,000 per week in late January and early February, driving up demand for oseltamivir, a key antiviral treatment.
Doctor Paweł Grzesiowski, head of the Polish health inspectorate, warned that hospitals are struggling to cope. “The system is bursting at the seams with acute patients filling up all the wards,” he told TVN news.
The flu is especially dangerous for older adults, young children, pregnant women, and those with chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease. Authorities are urging preventive measures to ease the burden on hospitals.
