Resident Doctors Accuse Ministry of Neglect Amid Staffing Crisis
Resident doctors from the OZZL union warn that severe staffing shortages, forcing medics to cover multiple wards simultaneously, pose a direct threat to the safety of both patients and staff....
Resident doctors from the OZZL union warn that severe staffing shortages, forcing medics to cover multiple wards simultaneously, pose a direct threat to the safety of both patients and staff.
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Operational hazards in hospital wards
Sebastian Goncerz, chairman of the Resident Agreement of the Polish Union of Doctors (OZZL), reports that some physicians are forced to cover ten wards at once. He criticized the Ministry of Health for failing to take action despite being aware of these conditions for a year.
Compulsory dual-duty risks
Władysław Krajewski, deputy chairman of the OZZL Resident Agreement, highlighted the dangerous practice of mandating doctors to work on their home wards while simultaneously staffing emergency departments. Residents argue that the ministry has yet to offer viable solutions to these systemic safety risks.
Disputed healthcare spending data
The Resident Agreement rejected government claims that doctors’ salaries consume nearly the entire healthcare budget. Based on a 2024 analysis of 321 hospitals, they found that doctors’ salaries account for an average of 23 percent of hospital budgets, while total staff costs represent 55 percent.
Call for objective debate
The union has urged government officials to abandon partisan narratives and rhetoric directed at medical professionals. They are demanding a shift toward evidence-based policy discussions supported by transparent, verified statistics rather than political emotionalism.
New legislation on income disclosure
Parliament has passed a bill requiring medical income data to be linked to PESEL numbers, a measure now awaiting the signature of President Karol Nawrocki. The law aims to track total earnings across multiple employment forms, replacing current anonymous data collection methods used by the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System.