Good news from the Minister of Health!
Since 2015, the number of practicing doctors has risen. Poland has learned to adapt to the departure of specialists abroad, and last year more than 4.3 thousand medical professionals joined the country’s health system from Ukraine and Belarus. This was stated by Health Minister Adam Niedzielski in Piła, located in the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship, during a Sunday visit tied to the Law and Justice party’s campaign under the banner “The future is Poland.”
During the public briefing, the minister acknowledged that the healthcare system needs change and significant investment, noting that initial steps involved dousing the political fires that sometimes surround health policy and addressing underinvestment and staff shortages, which have long plagued the sector.
When speaking about staff shortages, doctors, and nurses who leave for private practice or work abroad, Niedzielski admitted that the system is still not perfect. Yet he expressed confidence that the trends have begun to reverse. He highlighted a shift since 2015, pointing to progress after periods of decline and stressing that improvements have come from measures including higher wages for healthcare workers.
According to the minister, a range of monetization opportunities in the public system now makes it competitive with the private sector. The country has become an attractive destination for medical professionals, drawing more than 4.3 thousand doctors from Ukraine and Belarus last year. These professionals have not only filled gaps but also helped speed up access to specialist care for patients.
Looking ahead, Niedzielski underscored the need to expand medical education. He noted that around 40,000 students are enrolled in medical and related fields, a rise from about 30,000 eight years earlier, signaling a longer-term effort to strengthen the health workforce.
New loyalty solutions
During a question from a participant about ways to ensure doctors who study in Poland but practice abroad can repay at least part of the state training costs, the minister outlined new loyalty-based approaches. The centerpiece is a student loan program: an education loan that is repaid only after professionals work within the Polish health system for ten years. Since September of last year, nearly 2,000 of these loans have been issued under the system designed to retain talent within the public sector.
He added that a scholarship scheme for specialist education is also in development, aimed at supporting advanced training for physicians and nurses who commit to serving in Poland.
Noting that the reforms are ongoing, Niedzielski argued that while the country cannot claim perfection, the rate of renovation, the volume of new investments, and the procurement of equipment have all accelerated to levels not seen before. He cited ventilators as an example: before the pandemic, the typical age of ventilators in Poland was around a decade, but ongoing investments and upkeep have dramatically improved the readiness and reliability of critical care resources.
“We have stopped the outflow of doctors”
The health minister stressed that his party distinguishes itself from the opposition through action. The difference, he said, lies in delivering real results rather than merely talking about plans. He pointed to concrete steps, including the continued rollout of government initiatives such as the 500plus program and sustained increases in healthcare spending and healthcare worker salaries.
“We stopped the outflow of medics,” he stated, emphasizing a commitment to making health care accessible for all residents, including people in smaller towns as well as those in larger centers.
In discussing broader challenges, Niedzielski recalled the impact of the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic, stressing that despite economic and international instability, the government is fulfilling its responsibilities across every field. He argued that no other administration has matched the efficiency of the Law and Justice government in delivering measurable health sector improvements.
Source: wPolityce