As a member of the Procure4Health Community the Regional Specialist Hospital in Olsztyn (WSS Olsztyn) shares with us the road they have followed.
The Regional Specialist Hospital in Olsztyn (WSS Olsztyn) is a highly specialized center offering rapid diagnosis and access to the best, most experienced and qualified specialists. It is a large facility with a primary care clinic, 24-hour laboratory and modern diagnostic equipment. Each year, more than 25,000 patients are treated in 30 departments and approximately 140,000 consultations are provided in 47 specialized outpatient clinics.
Do you want to get to know more about the expertise of our procurer The Regional Specialist Hospital in Olsztyn (WSS Olsztyn) on Innovation Procurement projects?
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Organisations name: The Regional Specialist Hospital in Olsztyn (WSS Olsztyn)
Name and Surname of the person answering these questions: Irena Kierzkowska
Job position in the organisation of the person answering these questions: Chief Executive Officer
1. Based on your experience, what are the benefits of procuring innovation in the healthcare sector?
We have a lot of experience, but above all we want to learn how to carry out innovative procurement processes efficiently. The Procure4Health project gives us this opportunity.
On 1 June 2022, we joined the ranks of those institutions that, in an out-of-the-box manner and innovative way of tackling the difficult subject of public procurement.
We are implementing an international project called INNOBUYER – LEARNING, SHARING AND COOPERATING IN THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS FOR INNOVATION BETWEEN SUPPLIERS AND BUYERS OF INNOVATION”. – within the Horizon Europe programme. It is a project that connects public or private entities with contractors who can propose a new, innovative solution to the contracting authority’s needs.
Our project ‘Safe-stay – in hospital mobility of patients and visitors’, was among the fifteen projects selected for implementation.
We are not stopping there, as we are currently working yet another project.
2. Not everything must have been a bed of roses, what challenges have you faced when procuring innovation?
I don’t see obstacles, just challenges. I like to introduce new things. I believe that when nothing happens in management, we come to a standstill or even go backwards. We can’t afford to do that because of constant progress and development in healthcare that change important tasks our hospital carries out.
The healthcare system is complex, hence management requires bold decisions. Participation in projects involving innovative procurement demonstrates our openness and creativity.
It should be noted that innovative procurement is a difficult subject, but its implementation is possible and compliant with the EU legal regulations. However, due to the very strict control culture in Poland, innovative procurement is used sporadically. Many organizations are simply apprehensive and others, perhaps, are attached to following the beaten path. But change is the engine of progress. We decided to tackle it.
3. Could you please highlight a successful case on Innovation Procurement your organisation was involved in? (Please, specify if this project was a Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) or a Public Procurement of Innovative solutions (PPI). In this answer you should include a brief description of the project which includes its main goal, duration, budget, funding entity, etc.)
I consider the InnoBuyer project, which is admittedly still in progress, to be a good example of this.
The project is a pre-commercial procurement, and in the shortest terms: it concerns the introduction of wheelchairs for people with disabilities. The wheelchairs will be used on the hospital’s premises by logging to the system via SMS and will be equipped with GPS for safety reasons. The wheelchairs docking station will be located near parking spaces to provide easy access to the service.
The aim of InnoBuyer is to connect large public and private organisations with innovative SMEs to jointly create new, cost-effective innovation procurement models.
4. As an organisation very knowledgeable in innovation procurement, what piece of advice would you give to other healthcare organisations less experienced?
Above all, recognise the opportunity for hospitals to seek new forms of cooperation with partners from other Member States, to benefit from the exchange of experience and to raise money for development projects.
Their implementation gives us growth, but above all it broadens our horizons. We gain a new perspective on innovative purchasing and learn to specify our needs. As a result, we buy smarter, more efficiently and more economically – we have a tailor-made product. And one more thing – crossing more barriers gives us the courage to make more out-of-the-box decisions. And this is the only way to be at the forefront of development.
