Posts written by Kasia

Drug Sales Grow in Poland

Posted by Kasia No Comments
Feb 9 2012

Pharmaceutical sales rocketed in Poland ahead of the introduction of new drug reimbursement regulations and changes to the official list of subsidized drugs.

Under the reimbursement law adopted by parliament last year and introduced this January, the Ministry of Health will negotiate the so-called fixed refundable price of a drug with its manufacturer. On the basis of this price, the official profit margin will be calculated—ultimately 5 percent; at the moment, it is 8.91 percent. This means that the prices of reimbursed drugs (which means those subsidized from public funds) will be identical in all pharmacies. Previously pharmacies often charged promotional prices for drugs financed by the National Health Fund; some of these drugs could be bought for next to nothing.

The Health Ministry says the reimbursement law will put an end to a situation in which patients buy drugs even when they do not need them—encouraged by the low prices of subsidized drugs offered by pharmaceutical companies. Being part of the reimbursement system guarantees much greater revenue for pharmaceutical companies than when the drug is distributed on the market outside the state subsidy system.

The new regulations, and especially the revised reimbursement list, from which many drugs were removed, have provoked much controversy. After appeals from various interest groups, including patients and doctors, the list was expanded to include drugs such as those used by patients after transplant surgery, those used in the treatment of bronchial asthma in children, and painkillers for cancer patients, in addition to medical supplies such as blood glucose test strips. The list was first published in the form of a public notice rather than an official regulation as it was done previously. Under the reimbursement law, the list will be updated every two months.

No less controversy was provoked by reimbursement law provisions under which doctors were to be financially responsible for any mistakes made when writing out prescriptions for their patients—they were to meet the costs of any unauthorized reimbursement together with interest. Pharmacists were also made financially responsible for any mistakes made while issuing medication to patients. These new rules led to protests from doctors and pharmacists.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

Visiting Kazimierz Galicia Museum – Żydowskie Muzeum Galicja

Posted by Kasia No Comments
Feb 8 2012

Formerly Kraków’s Jewish quarter, Kazimierz’s soul was ripped out of it during WWII, when it was first used as a ghetto, then was steadily emptied as its inhabitants were sent off to the gas chambers of nearby Auschwitz and Birkenau. But recently, the area has enjoyed a revival; a visit here is a glimpse into a tragic past, but also a vibrant, promising future.

Towards the end of the 18th century, Poland was divided up between Russia, Austria and Prussia. The part annexed by Austria was known as Galicia and it included Kraków. The Kazimierz Galicia Museum (www.galiciajewishmuseum.org), which takes its name from that region, was opened officially on June 27, 2004 and since then, has attracted great international attention. Few years ago Dick Cheney held a reception at the museum for U.S. Holocaust survivors. Elie Wiesel, a veteran campaigner on Holocaust issues, also attended.

The museum’s initial purpose was to exhibit photographs taken by the late Chris Schwarz over a ten-year period. At the time he was a professional and award-winning photographer, then he was the founder, owner and director of the museum. Having discovered a suitable building, it seemed natural to add a café and a bookshop. Then, Chris also decided to put on cultural events, a practice that has continued under the Museum’s new directorship since his death on July 29, 2007 of cancer: every month, there are concerts, lectures, dance workshops and lessons in Hebrew and Yiddish. The museum is at ul. Dajwór 18, and you can get there by walking towards the Old Synagogue on ul. Szeroka, then turning left down a short road and then turning right into ul. Dajwór. The museum is about 80 metres down the street on the left.

The main exhibit is the Traces of Memory permanent exhibition, which shows some of the photographs Chris took. It is divided into five sections: the ruins, the original culture, the horror of destruction, efforts to preserve traces of memory and the people involved. Some of the images are positive. One shows a small clump of trees in the middle of an area of cultivated land. The local people know that beneath the trees lies a Jewish cemetery; they respect the sanctity of the area. Another picture provokes both sadness and anger: it shows Jewish tombstones used to pave the entrance to a private dwelling.

For Chris the museum’s activities gave rise to a troubling, even tormenting, question: How can there be Jewish culture without Jews? If young Poles play Jewish music or learn Hebrew or Yiddish from a Polish teacher, is that Jewish culture? The harsh truth is that such things can never be more than a pale shadow of what existed before, but the alternative is to let the elements of culture preserved at the museum die and become forgotten in Kazimierz. The Jewish community is ageing and within ten to fifteen years there may be no genuine Jewish presence in Kraków. It can be argued that a pale shadow is better than total erasure. After all, as Henryk Halkowski – a surviving Kraków Jew – said, “(The) Jews are gone. One can only try to preserve, maintain and fix the memory of them – not only of their struggle and death (as in Warsaw and Auschwitz), but of their life, of the values that guided their yearnings, of the international life and their unique culture. (Kraków) was one of the places where that life was most rich, most beautiful, most varied, and the most evidence of it has survived here.”

Really great place to visit if you are interested in Jewish history. Anyone has been there recently?

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

The Augustów Canal

Posted by Kasia No Comments
Feb 7 2012

Images of the Suez Canal flowing through the desert and the Panama Canal weaving its way through dense jungle in Central America are known worldwide, however few people are familiar with Poland’s most famous man-made waterway, which is perhaps one of the oldest in Europe.

The Augustów Canal (Kanał Augustowski) was already flowing through dense primeval forest and meadows, while its younger sisters the Suez and Panama were still just a blueprint. The canal is a living relic to Europe’s turbulent history that has seen empires rise and fall. It was built in the early nineteenth century and its raison d’etre was to bypass taxes at a time when the Polish kingdom was squeezed between two of Europe’s most powerful empires; Prussia and Imperial Russia.

Augustów Canal is maturing into one of the most attractive canals in Europe. Flowing through the Puszcza Augustowska, Poland’s largest forest complex, you can easily canoe down this route during spring and autumn, and are more likely to come into contact with wildlife rather than other humans, as you paddle along the waterways. The canal does not form a continuously straight route with regular banks – it is unique in that it flows through a variety of lakes, some large, some small, and that it continues its way through the royal town of Augustów and eventually onto the Biebrza National Park, forming part of the famous papal canoe route.

The canal adjoins several nature reserves which form part of Natura 2000, a network of ecologically protected areas, which means that there is no disturbance from barges or mechanical water traffic. The lock keepers’ cottages, probably some of the most attractive in Europe, are listed buildings and are located deep in the forest.

The canal is now settling down into old age with grace and beauty; it has been through war and destruction and now is the time to enjoy and explore it. There is however one final hurdle, or some may say ‘opportunity,’ to overcome as with most things in life: the canal is approximately 100 kilometres long and has 18 locks along its entire length; however three locks and about 2 kilometres of the canal are located in Belarus, and form the only border crossing in Europe which has been specially created for canoeists. This border is presently tightly controlled and a visa is required to travel further along the canal, however this may change at some point in the future. Belarus may eventually join the EU, which would mean that one could paddle all the way from Augustów to the Baltic via Belarus and Lithuania, and the canal will once again receive the international recognition that it deserves, and may even become listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

Little Madzia found…

Posted by Kasia 2 Comments
Feb 6 2012

Recently I have been following the story of “kidnapping” little Madzia, 6 month old girl in Poland. Supposedly  (rzekomo) mother took her for a walk, was hit from behind by someone and lost consciousness (straciła przytomność). After she regained consciousness (odzyskała przytomność) , baby was gone. Being a mom myself, I felt horrible..Who could do such a thing…?

Well, I just heard latest news about it…”Flowers, teddy bears and candles are piling up in a southern Polish park where a mother buried her child and then sparked a nationwide search by falsely claiming she had been kidnapped”.

The child’s 22-year-old mother Katarzyna Waśniewska was arrested Saturday after she confessed that the baby died when it slipped from her hands and hit its head.

On Jan. 24, Waśniewska claimed she was attacked in the street in the family’s hometown of Sosnowiec and the baby taken from her. A nationwide appeal (ogólnopolski apel) was made for clues (wskazówki) and witnesses (świadkowie), and the child’s family posted leaflets with Madzia’s picture around the neighborhood.

Police found the baby’s body on Saturday hidden under stones and leaves in the park in Sosnowiec.

The place has since been covered with hundreds of flowers, toys and candles. Such a sad story.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

Tyskie – Polish beer

Posted by Kasia 2 Comments
Feb 4 2012

Tyskie is the most recognised and best-loved Polish beer. The brand belongs to Kompania Piwowarska, a subsidiary of SABMiller. Tyskie is brewed from crystal clear spring water, superior varieties of barley malt and hops which deliver an aroma assuring its excellent taste.

More and more beer-drinkers around the world are developing a taste for Tyskie, which has contributed to the rapid export growth of the Tyskie brand, which is now considered Poland’s leading export beer brand. This is not only down to the large number of devoted Polish consumers who now live outside Poland remaining loyal to their favourite beer – they have also inspired their friends and colleagues to drink Tyskie. Each year, the list of countries where Tyskie is available gets longer and longer… starting with United States of America and Canada, through Holland, France, Iceland to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and China. More important still, Tyskie is constantly more often chosen by native Europeans – even without being recommended by Polish friends.

Taking a look at the numbers, since being introduced to the Irish market, Tyskie’s sales have increased by an astonishing 400%. In Ireland, Tyskie has a 73% share in total Polish beer brands purchased. This shows the scale of Tyskie’s appreciation outside of Poland.

Kompania Piwowarska is the largest brewer in Poland. Hundreds of years of experience in beer brewing, state-of-the-art technology and rigorous adherence to the World Class Manufacturing principles guarantee the highest quality beer. The company’s product portfolio includes Tyskie – Poland’s favourite beer, Żubr – the second largest Polish brand of beer, Lech, Dębowe Mocne, Pilsner Urquell, Redd’s, Dog in the Fog, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Miller Genuine Draft. Kompania Piwowarska was established in 1999 as a result of a merger of Tyskie Browary Książęce and Lech Browary Wielkopolski.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

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