Hospitals on the Brink. Is a Nationwide Protest Coming?
Voices of indignation from the directors of district hospitals are becoming louder and louder. The reason? Lack of clear guidelines and, above all, lack of money for the announced increases in healthcare from July 1. The situation is getting tense, and the community is preparing for a joint protest. An appeal to trade unions is already on its way - informs Gazeta Wyborcza.
According to the Minimum Wage Act, medical facility directors are required to conclude wage agreements with unions before the increases come into effect. The problem is that... it is not known how much money hospitals will actually receive.
– How are we supposed to sign an agreement if we don’t know the amount? – one of the directors of a Silesian hospital asks helplessly.
According to data from the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System, this year's pay rises will cost as much as PLN 9.1 billion. But even this sum – as hospital representatives warn – only includes employees employed on full-time contracts. Meanwhile, in many facilities, most doctors work on contracts, which completely ignores the calculations.
The atmosphere of anxiety was also fueled by Wednesday's speech by Health Minister Izabela Leszczyna in the Sejm. The announcement that the National Health Fund will pay for all overperformance... does not sound like a realistic promise.
– We will pay for the first quarter of 2025 in the quarter that ends in June – she announced.
For directors this means one thing: the status quo and a continued lack of specifics.
According to information from the National Association of District Hospital Employers, so far, real funds for overperformance have only reached three provincial branches of the National Health Fund. In the rest – silence.
– In 13 regions there is probably simply no money to pay – admits the president of the OZPSP, Waldemar Malinowski.
On Monday, the union board will pass a resolution demanding urgent funds for July pay rises. The list of demands also includes an appeal to continue the "Good Meal in the Hospital" program. If the government does not react, a nationwide protest is possible, in which the organizers want to involve all union centers.
Will public health once again fall victim to financial chaos and political neglect? We will soon learn the answer – unfortunately, not from a press conference, but from streets filled with protesting healthcare workers.
Source: PAP Update: 09/06/2025 10:39
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