The money will go towards paediatric gastroenterology – the diagnosis and treatment of digestive disorders in children.
Owsiak said the foundation has already purchased four endoscopic ultrasound devices – previously unavailable in Polish hospitals for children – which are expected to be operational by summer.
The drive, held on 25 January under the slogan "for the healthy tummies of our children", involved 1,681 fundraising hubs worldwide and 120,000 volunteers.
Just over half of donations – 53 percent – came through traditional collection tins, with the remainder raised digitally.
Looking ahead, Owsiak outlined a new strategic framework called "5 Plus", focusing on five priority areas: oncology, paediatric diagnostics and rehabilitation, medical simulation centres and broader public health safety.
He added that the foundation had contacted Health Minister Jolanta Sobierańska-Grenda over fears that paediatric diagnostics could face similar cuts to those affecting adult services and received assurances it would not.
Founded in 1993, WOŚP has now raised a cumulative total of over PLN 2.6 billion (EUR 610 million) and donated more than 80,000 medical devices to public hospitals across Poland.
(ał)
Source: PAP