Poland



While health expenditure is low, population coverage in Poland is practically universal within the statutory health system, but there are key gaps in the scope and depth of public cover. The Ministry of Health shares governance and responsibility for health care with three levels of territorial government: municipalities (gmina) oversee primary care, counties (powiat) are responsible for (often) smaller county hospitals, and districts (voivodeships) for generally larger district hospitals. 



The Ministry of Health is the founder of the national health institutes and has a supervisory role over medical university clinics. Private facilities provide mainly outpatient (or ambulatory) care, while most hospitals are public. This diversity of competencies presents considerable challenges for effective coordination of activities across the health system.

Poland’s health system is based on Social Health Insurance. Health insurance contributions, in the form of an earmarked payroll tax, are the major public source of health care funding. Overall, the role of private health spending is much larger in Poland than in most other European Union Member States. The bulk of out-of-pocket spending is attributable to pharmaceuticals, both reimbursed drugs and OTC medicines, both of which have very high consumption rates.

Primary care is the entry point to the Polish health care system, with primary care providers serving as gate keepers to more specialized care. Most health spending is on inpatient care and hospital capacity is extensive, although Poland has among the lowest numbers of health professionals in Europe.