Focus on experience and quality in the first private hospital in Poland
Opublikowano: 20 października 2015

Konrad Michalski has talked to Agnieszka Dziedzic-Pasik, Managing Director and Board Member for Damian Medical Centre, about Szpital Damiana (Damian Hospital) – a renowned centre providing a variety of medical services for patients in Warsaw.

Szpital Damiana is the first privately owned hospital in Poland. What does it mean to be a pioneer – is it challenging?
Szpital Damiana was opened in 1994 to become the first privately owned hospital in Poland. Thanks to this
20-year long presence on the private medical care market, we know our patients’ expectations and are aware of how they have changed over the years. We absolutely prioritize health and safety of our patients, and we can do so due to the considerable experience and highest medical treatment standards. The excellence certificates we have obtained prove we provide medical service of highest quality: we hold, among others, an Accreditation Certificate from Polish WHO Collaboration Centre for Development of Quality and Safety in Health Systems, as well as ISO 9001:2008 certificate in quality management for medical and diagnostic services.

The maternity ward of the hospital is characterised by a distinct, individualised model of medical care provided by doctors and nurses. What is its practical application in taking care of parents-to-be?
18 years ago we opened in Warsaw the first private maternity ward, where we implemented an Individual Maternity Care Model to be used by teams of best qualified specialists comprising of an anaesthesiologist, an obstetriciangynecologist, pediatrician-neonatologist and a midwife.The team accompanies a mum-to-be during the pregnancy and the labour each woman expecting a baby gets to know her assigned medical team that will be present at delivery approximately by 36th week of pregnancy. During meetings at the Maternity Ward, the obstetrician-gynecologist talks about the sequence of events in natural childbirth and in case of cesarean section, the anaesthesiologist explains how individual pain relief medications work, the pediatrician-neonatologist presents options for medical examination and vaccinations to be administered to the baby in first few days after the birth, the midwife provides advice on how to prepare oneself for childbirth, on how to take care of the newborn and what actions to take in the post-delivery and breastfeeding period. A few days after giving birth the patient returns to the Maternity Ward for a check-up visit during which the pediatrician-neonatologist establishes whether the baby’s development proceeds normally, the obstetrician-gynecologist examines the patient and the midwife answers any questions concerning the baby’s care and grooming. The Individual
Maternity Care Model has so far been a unique method of providing childbirth-related care that makes our Hospital stand out from other medical centres. We guarantee mothers and babies are granted immediate access to the Intensive Care Unit if necessary and we have the best new generation medical equipment at our disposal.

It is generally believed that private hospitals use lower quality medical equipment than state owned medical centres. What can you say about that with regard to Szpital Damiana?
Our patients are examined and treated with the best new generation medical equipment. The Matrnity Ward of our Hospital is equipped with a neonatal resuscitation station which enables assisted breathing via the use of  nCPAP method, a pulse oximeter for non invasive monitoring of oxygen saturation in newborn’s blood, a heart monitor, CTG equipment, a phototherapy device BiliBlanket which is used in treatment of babies with elevated levels of bilirubin.

In 2011 Szpital Damiana and other remaining Damian Medical Centres were awarded the title of “Mum-to-be Friendly”, which is granted as a part of a national campaign for raisinig awareness about the needs of expecting mothers (“Odmienny stan-odmienne traktowanie” campaign). What conditions need to be fulfilled for an establishment to be presented with this distinction?
Szpital Damiana received the “Mum-to-be Friendly” title as a part of a national campaign, translated roughly as “Expecting Mother, Exceptional Assistnace”, which aims at triggering positive social response to the needs of pregnant women and making the society more aware of the issue. The National Ranking of Mum-to-be friendly places lists venues which are not only convenient for pregnant women, but also where future mothers can experience a friendly atmosphere and caring attitude. The campaign has been supported by the Polish   Gynecological Association and by the Polish “Rodzić po Ludzku”(“Give Birth in Humane Conditions”) Foundation.

Let’s end with a question which is very relevant from the point of view of our readers. Foreigners in Szpital Damiana Hospital…?
Damian Medical Centre includes the only place in Warsaw which ensures and facilitates coordination of complex medical care for patients with foreign health insurance policies. What differentiates us from other centres is that we offer individual medical care for foreigners. We have a team of English speaking medical professionals dedicated at providing comple, medical care for holders of foreign health insurance policies. We are the only medical company in Warsaw to provide such service. We also offer medical assistance for foreigners without insurance policies. Our health staff is trained to be aware of the specific expectations and to respect any patients’
needs resulting from cultural differences