Żywienie pacjentów w szpitalach - brak zasad odżywiania chorych w publicznych placówkach

The subject of the audit conducted by the Supreme Audit Office, which comprised all the country and was coordinated by the NIK Regional Branch in Łódź, were the issues related to the activities of hospitals and state bodies responsible for catering safety in hospitals. The objective of the audit was, in the first place, to assess whether the activities of the competent bodies, undertaken in accordance with the binding legal regulations, are sufficient for providing appropriate menus in hospitals. The audit also examined the systemic, legal and organisational barriers that persons responsible for patients’ catering had encountered. The audit revealed that the health protection system did not ensure appropriate nourishment for patients in hospitals because, among others, hospitals do not have control of the quality of food. The food that patients are given does not meet its basic function, which is to support the treatment and recovery process, and, what is worse, it can be even harmful. According to the findings of the Supreme Audit Office, this situation has not improved for the last ten years.