Poland healthcare debate intensifies over high doctor salaries

Disclosures regarding high medical salaries in Poland have sparked national debate over healthcare financing and systemic transparency. In Zamość, a radiology specialist earned over 2.7 million PLN in 2025, significantly exceeding the earnings of other specialists at the same facility. In Warsaw, data released by Warsaw Medical Center following inquiries from Watchdog Polska revealed that one orthopedist earned 7,848 PLN per hour, totaling 337,000 PLN for 43 hours of work.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk has characterized these high earnings as “wage pathologies” and announced plans for legislation to introduce salary limits. Experts suggest that high earnings in fields like radiology may be linked to contract structures where specialists receive a percentage of the value of performed procedures, such as MRI or CT scans.

Simultaneously, other medical facilities face severe financial instability. A hospital in Szczecin has delayed full salary payments to staff, citing liquidity issues and the need to prioritize medicine purchases. In Miastko, a hospital is reportedly in a state of collapse, with staff working without guaranteed pay and essential services being shuttered.