There will be an extension of the settlement of investments from KPO. There is a declaration of the minister

• We managed to obtain the preliminary consent of the European Commission to extend the settlement period for healthcare investments under the KPO by at least 3 months - confirmed Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, Minister of Funds and Regional Policy in an interview for WNP
• EU funds are to be allocated to investments in oncology, cardiology and long-term care
• - We are trying to make sure that June next year is not the final finish, but I cannot promise anything yet - said Izabela Leszczyna, Minister of Health, during a recent meeting with hospital directors.
• The EC's consent will become fully binding after the KPO is revised in July and August, processed through EU mechanisms, adopted and published.

EU funds under the National Reconstruction Plan are to finance modernization and purchases of equipment in oncology, cardiology and long-term care. According to the arrangements in force so far, the settlement of these investments should be completed by June 2026.

There is therefore very little time to implement them, which raises concerns among hospital directors. Hence the appeals to extend the deadlines for implementing healthcare projects.

As Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, Minister of Funds and Regional Policy, reminded in an interview with the WNP portal, the National Reconstruction Plan is today a race against time. - Due to the two-year blockade and delays, the situation has become very tense. We managed to obtain preliminary consent from the European Commission to extend the settlement period by at least three months - said the minister.

In her opinion, extending settlement deadlines by even a quarter could save hundreds of projects , including those in healthcare.

The Minister of Funds, illustrating what activities the additional time should be used for when implementing projects with EU money, gave an example relating to the purchase of trams, explaining that "this principle applies to all projects implemented under the KPO". - After the change, it will be enough for a document confirming that the trams are ready for collection to be ready by the end of August. The purchase itself, technical acceptance and the final report can be submitted within the next three months. This is a huge time and operational relief - she explained.

- I used an example because it is very illustrative, but we want the same mechanism to cover health projects: oncology, long-term care and others. This is a big step towards streamlining the implementation of investments and avoiding their loss due to rigidly set deadlines - said Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz to the WNP.pl portal

In March, the Ministry of Health announced that the entire amount allocated for the competition under the National Reconstruction Plan (KPO) for oncology, amounting to PLN 5.2 billion, had been distributed. The funds will go to 102 hospitals out of 257 facilities that took part in the competition.

For cardiology, PLN 2.7 billion is to come from EU funds for modernization and purchases of equipment. The competition has not yet been announced, because it depends on the entry into force of the act on the National Cardiology Network, which is a "milestone" enabling the release of EU funds. The Sejm has completed work on this act and on June 6 it was submitted to the president for signature.

During a meeting with hospital directors on May 22 in Warsaw , the Minister of Health, Izabela Leszczyna, assured that the ministry would complete all procedures required to transfer EU funds to hospitals for the modernization of long-term care units by the end of the month.

As announced by the Minister of Health, tenders for these investments financed with money from the National Reconstruction Plan can begin.

- I am aware that time is running out. We are negotiating - said Izabela Leszczyna, referring to the deadline of the end of June 2026, set by the European Commission for the settlement of EU funds for hospital renovations.

- The Ministry of Health is negotiating with the EC to extend this deadline. - But I can't promise anything today. If we manage to extend something, it will be months, not years - she announced.

- We are trying to ensure that June next year is not the final finish, but rather try to approach it in such a way that you will have a year to invest in long-term care - Izabela Leszczyna told hospital directors.

Under the National Reconstruction Plan, Poland is to receive EUR 59.8 billion (PLN 268 billion), including EUR 25.27 billion (PLN 113.28 billion) in grants and EUR 34.54 billion (PLN 154.81 billion) in the form of preferential loans.

As Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz reported at the end of May, the revision of the KPO will be processed by EU mechanisms in July and August , adopted and published. She added then that there was no agreement on 20% of cases.

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