The voting in the nationwide medical contest HIPOKRATES 2023 is finished. The Laryngologist of the Year winner is Professor Piotr H. Skarzyński, Deputy Head of the Teleaudiology and Screening Department at the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing. The competition aims to identify those healthcare professionals who are held in the highest esteem by patients. This big medical contest recognizes and rewards practitioners for their professional attitude when approaching the patient and during the treatment and for their sense of propriety.

Professor Piotr H. Skarżyński, an outstanding otolaryngologist, pediatric otolaryngologist, audiologist, phoniatrist, and public health specialist, won nearly 5,000 votes from his patients.

The contest lasted from mid-September, and the winners from all voivodeships in each category competed in the last installment of the plebiscite – the nationwide finale, in which they competed for votes. This event aims to recognize the people and places that patients trust the most, that are well-managed and have professional staff.

As we can read on the organizer’s site – Health is the most important thing for all of us. When we lose it, we seek a trustworthy doctor based on his experience and how he approaches patients. When we need a medical procedure, we want the best specialist to perform it and a professional and nice nurse to take care of us. We regularly visit our dentist and expect him to treat our teeth in a meticulous and long-lasting way. Physiotherapists take care of our physical condition and help us recover from injuries. When we buy medicine in a pharmacy, we count on the pharmacist’s council. We expect healthcare professionals to be patient, amiable, empathetic, and respectful. And it is precisely such doctors, nurses, midwives, and pharmacists who will be awarded in the HIPOKRATES Medical Contest. The submissions of candidates and the subsequent selection of winners belong to the people who know the medics best — their patients. The honorary titles will be awarded first in each city and district, then on the level of voivodeships, and lastly, in a nationwide finale.

The winners will receive their titles, statuettes, and main prizes during a grand gala on 8 December at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. The event’s patrons are the Ministry of Health and the National Healthcare Fund.