“Stawka to Życie. Zastawka to Życie. Valve for Live”
About the Project
The campaign in the first edition in 2015 reached 11 million people. Thanks to it, the number of TAVI treatments in Poland within 1.5 years of running the campaign increased from 453 to almost 800, which means that more patients could benefit from this innovative treatment. The campaign has really influenced greater access to safer, minimally invasive, modern therapies for which there is no alternative.
There is still a risk that if high-risk patients who do not have the opportunity to benefit from TAVI may not survive standard therapy. That is why it is so important to continue the action and to raise the awareness of society.
Through numerous articles, broadcasts and activities in the media, the campaign has increased awareness of low-invasive modern cardiac procedures on valves. In a manner comprehensible to people, she provided information about valvular heart disease, aortic stenosis and its consequences, which resulted in a large increase in social awareness among patients, who are mostly older people, but also among their families.
The campaign “Stawka to Życie. Zastawka to Życie” has been recognized by the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI) of European Cardiac Society (ESC) as a model for carrying out this type of action across Europe .The logo of Valve for Life prepared by the Polish team was recognized as the best and became the official logo of the whole initiative in Europe and in the world. Since then other European countries have begun to model themselves on Polish activities.
In 2017, as part of the next edition of the campaign, numerous discussion panels and debates on access to modern cardiac therapies were carried out, including in the editorial office of "Rzeczpospolita", at the Economic Forum in Krynica, at the European Congress of Local Governments. This meetings were held with the participation of decision-makers - representatives of: Ministry of Health, Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariffs (AOTMiT), National Health Fund (NFZ), health management experts, journalists and eminent professors.
The campaign “Stawka to Życie. Zastawka to Życie” is also a partner of events for patients, including 5. Polish Nationwide Nordic Walking march "Przegoń Zawał" and Santa's Day of Health Senior, which is the largest educational event for patients. It gathers over 1000 people.
As part of the campaign, educational videos were prepared for patients and doctors building awareness about TAVI procedures, showing the path of qualifications and preparation for surgery, as well as the history and advantages of this procedure for patients and doctors. The films will be made available to hospitals so that both patients and medical staff can use them.
During this year's edition of the campaign, we conduct meetings at Universities of the Third Age, where we educate seniors and conduct free patient tests and cardiological consultations (including heart echo) for participants.
In 2017, the campaign "Stawka to Życie. Zastawka to Życie" received the patronage of the Ministry of Health, and patronage of cities in which this year meetings were held for patients: Bydgoszcz, Bytom, Gdańsk, Warsaw and the patronage of the Marshal's Office of the Masovia Province.
The Facebook campaign profile is run in a modern and accessible way - through attractive graphics, we bring the subject of TAVI closer to patients.
The action "Stawka to Życie. Zastawka to Życie" for several years makes the work of the medical staff easier - thanks to her, patients and their families are more educated, aware and calm. Doctors can focus on work and preparation for hospitalization. The patient's peace and professional care are very important in the process of patient's health recovery.
In 2017, the number of TAVI treatments has a chance to exceed 1000. This is another success of running campaigns and halfway points in the needs of our country. We want to achieve 50 treatments per million inhabitants in Poland. The European average is 60 treatments per million inhabitants. Taking into account the fact that in Germany it is 160 treatments per one million inhabitants, we are effectively working on increasing the availability of these important treatments year after year.