Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected health care systems in many ways, including access to and the use of non-COVID services. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the pandemic on the utilization of different public health care services in Poland. Methods: The aggregated data on health care users and provided services for the years 2015/2016–2021 were used to analyse the changes in health care utilization during the pandemic and deviations from pre-pandemic utilization trends. Quantitative analysis was complemented with qualitative descriptions of the changes in principles of health care provision during the pandemic. Results: The results show a considerable drop in the provision of most health care services in 2020 that in some cases disturbed pre-pandemic utilization trends and was not made up for in 2021. The most significant decrease has been observed in the field of preventive and public health services, as well as rehabilitation. The provision of these services was put on hold during the pandemic. Conclusions: The accumulated COVID-19-related “health debt” urgently calls for government actions to strengthen disease prevention and health promotion in Poland.

Medical rehabilitation in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regulatory and organizational issues The medical rehabilitation system in Poland includes various rehabilitation services, financed by various institutions, including the NFZ, ZUS, KRUS, PFRON and local governments. The aim of the study is to identify the most important problems and limitations of this system, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The most important issues to be solved and proposed reforms of the medical rehabilitation system in Poland presented in recent years were identified. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this system, providing rehabilitation services and problems related to the im­plementation of further legal regulations in the first months of the pandemic were discussed. One of the most important recommended changes is the implementation of the comprehensive care model and the activities aimed at coordinating various elements and levels of rehabilitation.

Introduction and objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the health care system. The aim of the study is to assess the impact of the pandemic on the level of provision of various types of health services in Poland, based on the analysis of available scientific evidence....

Assessment of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the realization of rehabilitation services financed by NFZ in Poland in 2020. The National Health Fund finances rehabilitation services contracted in two scopes, therapeutic rehabilitation and health resort treatment. The aim of the study is to assess the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the realization of rehabilitation services financed by the National Health Fund in Poland in 2020 compared to the previous years (2016-2019). The paper also discusses the implementation of successive regulations regarding rehabilitation during Covid-19 pandemic in Poland in 2020. Based on the analysis, it was shown that the number of patients who benefited from rehabilitation services in Poland financed by the National Health Fund decreased by 17% in the case of services in the field of therapeutic rehabilitation in 2020 compared to 2019 (the largest decrease, amounting to 80%, was observed in the case of pulmonary rehabilitation provided in the conditions of a day center or ward) and by 50% in the case of health resort treatment services.

Background Climate change places increasing pressure on health systems. They must both reduce their negative impact on the environment and strengthen resilience to climate-related risks. Objective To synthesize and map the evidence from systematic reviews on the scope and effectiveness of climate change mitigation and adaptation actions in health systems. Methods An umbrella review of systematic reviews examining health system responses to climate change was conducted. The review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute methodological guidelines and adhered to the PRISMA checklist. The included systematic reviews had to meet two overarching criteria: at least two databases were searched, and a predefined instrument was used to assess the quality or risk of bias of the included studies. Results Thirty-nine systematic reviews published between 2020 and 2025 were included, covering 933 individual studies. Most reviews (35/39) focused exclusively on mitigation strategies, with evidence concentrated around major greenhouse gas emission hotspots: surgical procedures; radiology; pharmaceuticals; food waste; and transportation of patients and staff. Across these areas, many mitigation strategies were associated with environmental and economic co-benefits, although the underlying evidence was heterogeneous and often of low to moderate quality. In contrast, only a small number of reviews addressed climate adaptation and health system resilience. Conclusions Existing evidence provides practical guidance on effective climate mitigation actions. The limited number of systematic reviews on climate adaptation highlights a gap in the evidence base. Translating mitigation evidence into clinical guidelines and policies and strengthening research on adaptation could support more systematic climate action in health systems.