Poland launches sweeping health‑care reforms on 1 July 2026

Poland health reform e‑prescription sharing drug reimbursement changes central e‑registration low‑dose lung CT screening

From 1 July 2026 Poland is rolling out a series of changes to its public health system. The Ministry of Health will allow e‑prescriptions to be split across pharmacies, ending the rule that patients must collect all packages of a drug at the same outlet. A new drug‑reimbursement decree reduces patient co‑payments for osteoporosis and in‑vitro fertilisation medicines while raising costs for allergy immunotherapy and anticoagulants. Centralised e‑registration of specialist appointments, diagnostic tests and preventive programmes becomes mandatory; facilities that fail to upload schedules or activate service codes may face suspension of NFZ payments. The National Health Fund (NFZ) will also shift to an annual settlement of over‑run contracts for hospital, rehabilitation and specialist services. A low‑dose CT lung‑cancer screening programme for high‑risk adults is now funded nationally, expanding early‑detection capacity. The Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) simplifies the filing of benefit documents, accepting electronic submissions with the same legal effect as paper forms. Separately, the Supreme Audit Office’s audit highlighted staffing shortages, long travel distances and lack of milk‑bank facilities in obstetric wards in the Świętokrzyskie region. Together, these measures aim to improve access, transparency and financial stability of Poland’s health‑care system.