Polish patients face long travel for IBD medication and sanatorium care

Patients with non‑specific inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Poland often travel hundreds of kilometres to collect biologic medicines prescribed under drug programmes. Małgorzata Mossakowska, founder of the Polish Society Supporting People with IBD, highlighted that “patients must travel several hundred kilometres just to pick up the drug,” and argued that newer sub‑cutanous injections or tablets could be dispensed at local pharmacies, with follow‑up visits and tele‑consultations conducted nearer to patients’ homes.

Similarly, individuals applying for sanatorium treatment through the National Health Fund (NFZ) frequently receive referrals to distant facilities. The NFZ allows patients to request that a spouse, partner or close relative accompany them, but approval depends on medical criteria and availability of two‑person rooms. Applicants must submit a joint request citing both referral numbers and medical justification, and there is no guarantee that both will be placed in the same sanatorium or share a room.