Polish healthcare faces prescription dispenser risks and doctor overwork

Automated prescription machines, called receptomaty, allow patients to obtain drugs without a doctor’s supervision. Experts warn this can lead to dangerous self‑medication; Dr. Jacek Koprowicz highlighted that drugs such as Xanax are being obtained "z marszu" and that reliance on internet or AI advice may have fatal outcomes.

A report by the Supreme Audit Office (NIK) uncovered that doctors in Polish hospitals are forced to work up to 70‑hour shifts, far exceeding safe limits of 8‑10 hours per day. Such excessive overtime raises serious health risks for medical staff and reflects chronic staffing shortages in the system.