The new subunit will initially operate within the surgery department. In the new year, it may become an independent department if it manages to secure a contract with the National Health Fund.
“We will diagnose and treat diseases of the entire digestive tract, meaning the tubular organs, liver and pancreas. We also want to perform ERCP procedures on the bile ducts and, if necessary, the pancreas—procedures offered by few centers. It is a very difficult procedure, but we want to perform it,” says Dr. Wojciech Kurasz, head of the new subunit.
“Until now, patients who were to undergo an ERCP procedure were referred, for example, to Legnica or Wrocław. In the future, we want to admit them here,” adds Adam Zdaniuk, director of the hospital in Bolesławiec.
“We have people here who suffer from ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. If such a patient has 20 bowel movements a day, they will not travel to Wrocław because it is simply too difficult. There are patients who are 30 years old, have families and, because of their illness, are pushed to the margins of everyday life. When such a person stops working, they cannot afford treatment. The system currently works in such a way that they can either receive treatment in Wrocław or privately here. We want to treat such people under the National Health Fund at our department,” explains Dr. Kurasz.
Colorectal cancer ranks second in terms of incidence among women and men. In 2008, more than 14,000 people in Poland developed this cancer. More than 10,000 of them died. The problem is that the disease is diagnosed late.
“The equipment we have in Bolesławiec helps me detect very early changes. Changes that were once barely visible can now be seen more clearly thanks to special lighting and higher resolution,” says Dr. Kurasz.
What symptoms may indicate that a person has colorectal cancer? Unexplained weight loss, blood or mucus in the stool, a change in bowel habits, a change in the shape of the stool, and abdominal pain that wakes a person at night. People who have such symptoms should definitely undergo a colonoscopy. Early detection of the cancer often makes it possible to cure it quickly.
