Poland advances health‑care reforms as public demands system overhaul

A new report by the Human Answer Institute and the Adam Smith Centre found that 74% of respondents hold the Polish government responsible for problems in the health‑care system, while only 38% blame doctors. The survey of 1,093 adults showed strong public support for organizational changes: 70% want doctors employed on permanent contracts, 58% favor separating public and private practice, and a majority call for apolitical management of hospitals.

The President’s Chancery is preparing draft reforms aimed at increasing transparency of doctors’ workloads and salaries, limiting physicians’ weekly hours to 78, and introducing stricter controls on medication reimbursement. The Ministry of Health has already launched an automated system, effective 1 July, that links prescription codes to ICD‑10 diagnoses to determine patient co‑payment levels and protect doctors from penalties for incorrect reimbursement assignments. Both the presidential office and the government intend to present their proposals to Prime Minister Donald Tusk in the coming week.

The reforms are discussed amid allegations of irregularities at Warsaw’s South Hospital and broader concerns about an aging medical workforce, with the average age of specialist doctors now 56 years.