Crisis forces politicians to change their image and pharmaceutical companies play games with health authorities.

Weekly press reviewed by Slawek Szefs

NEWSWEEK POLSKA returns to the brutal killing of a Polish engineer by the Pakistani Taliban. Piotr Stanczak was beheaded by his captors after being held hostage for over four months when authorities in Islamabad refused to free from jail a group of convicted terrorists. The Polish government has announced a reward for disclosing the whereabouts of the perpetrators, three of whom have already been identified. It is no secret that the aim of the action is to simply hunt them down and kill them. The weekly reminds readers that it took Polish special services a long two years to find the assassins of television war correspondent Waldemar Milewicz, gunned down in Iraq. Whenever possible, they were brought before justice. Others were shot. None had escaped. ‘Operation Revenge’ is the cover story title in Newsweek.

WPROST magazine has a photoshop wonder of a kissing Donald Tusk and Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Who in their proper senses could even theoretically dream of seeing the PM and leader of the ruling Civic Platform in any intimate contact with his political archrival, the former government head and chairman of Law and Justice (PiS), the major opposition party? Well, this could be a dream come true thanks to, or because of the situation which can best be described as love in times of crisis. This is what is going to happen, speculate political analysts: the PM and opposition boss will be exchanging polite smiles, while the president and government he so much despises shall start acting like a good old married couple. Naturally with a dose of nagging, but with a strong conviction of being doomed to each other. And there is bound to be a reward for all the three main characters in this theater act as experience has shown the Polish public is tired of constant political feuds. Time to change tactics before the next elections to project a new image, you think?

TYGODNIK SOLIDARNOSC looks with anxiety at the rising rate of unemployment. The looming crisis has hiked the figure from 9.5 to 10.5 percent in barely one month  from January. Companies are only starting to feel the effects of diminishing orders, slumps in currency exchange rates and problems with securing bank loans. What will the end of 2009 bring in this respect, wonders the trade union weekly. 

POLITYKA has a report on operations of various international pharmaceutical companies on the Polish market. They use the same well tested method of attracting clients to their product offer – associations of patients. The stake in Poland’s case is a package of 11 billion zloties, roughly 3 and a half billion dollars, for refunding pharmaceuticals from a list compiled by the health ministry. What is crucial is the fact that such funds, no matter in what country, are always inadequate when compared to the actual needs. Poland is no exception. The strategy is to have as many products as possible on the refund list and the more expensive they are, the better. On the other hand wholesalers are offered up to 35 percent discounts by the producers. The high price of the specific drug is then reimbursed by the state. There are also more refined methods of exerting pressure on health authorities to extend the refund list. Showing patients the latest achievements of the pharmaceutical industry effectively raises their expectations voiced through the mentioned associations of patients suffering from specific ailments. And so the vicious circle becomes self propelling…