The deputy minister provided the data. E-registration could end the problem of missed appointments.

The Senate Health Committee on Tuesday supported amendments proposed by the Legislative Office to the Act on Central Electronic Registration for Medical Appointments. At the same time, Deputy Health Minister Tomasz Maciejewski revealed data from the pilot program.

Data from the Ministry of Health shows that in 2024, patients did not cancel as many as 1.3 million doctor's appointments . This means that during this time, doctor's offices remained empty – doctors waited, but no one showed up. Meanwhile, if patients had canceled their appointments in advance, others in need could have been seen in their place.

The Senate Health Committee unanimously supported the amendment to the Act on Healthcare Services Financed from Public Funds and Certain Other Acts. The amendments introduce centralized online registration of appointments for services financed by the National Health Fund.

Deputy Minister of Health Tomasz Maciejewski emphasized that the new solution will benefit both patients and medical facilities. The system will enable appointment management through the Online Patient Account (IKP) and the IKP mobile app. Patients will receive text message notifications about upcoming appointments and will also be able to cancel appointments online .

For those who do not use digital devices, the option of registering in person or by phone will be retained, with appointment reminders being provided by phone via voicebots .

As the Deputy Minister informed, over one million appointments have already been scheduled as part of the e-registration system pilot, of which 470,000 were provided by healthcare providers.

Although the Senate Legislative Office proposed several amendments, the Deputy Minister requested their rejection, arguing that the bill needed to be adopted quickly so that it could enter into force in January 2026. Senator Wojciech Konieczny (Left) pointed out that some of the amendments are interpretative and their absence could lead to ambiguity.

You will be able to sign up for a visit under the National Health Fund:

• via the Online Patient Account (IKP) ,

• in person ,

• by phone ,

• or by e-mail to the service provider.

During registration, the patient will specify their preferences – e.g., location, appointment date or specific doctor – and the system will suggest the next available date .

The new regulations introduce a shared, central waiting list , replacing the lists previously maintained separately by each facility. If there are no available appointments at a given time, the patient will remain on the central waiting list until a service that meets their criteria becomes available.

Appointments will be allocated according to the order of applications , the patient’s medical category and their entitlements , e.g. the right to use services out of turn.

Central e-registration will be launched from January 2026 and will initially cover:

• cardiology ,

• cytology ,

• mammography .

From July 1, 2026, the system will be expanded to include further specializations: vascular diseases, infectious diseases, endocrinology, hepatology, immunology, cystic fibrosis, nephrology, neonatology, tuberculosis and lung diseases .

Medical facilities will have time to join the system until the end of June 2026 , after which participation in central e-registration for the indicated services will become mandatory .

The Ministry of Health plans to ensure that all outpatient specialist care (AOS) services are covered by central e-registration by 31 December 2029 at the latest.