Health Ministry Announces Strict Wage Caps and Operational Reforms

Health Minister Jolanta Sobierańska-Grenda has unveiled a comprehensive reform package for the public healthcare system, introducing maximum salary thresholds, new transparency requirements for medical contracts, and a digitized patient registration system.

Capping Medical Earnings and Hospital Budgets

The Ministry of Health will set maximum expenditure levels for personnel costs within hospital budgets, which currently account for an average of 81.3 percent of funds provided by the National Health Fund (NFZ). Recommendations from the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariffication are expected by the end of August to guide these changes.

Minister Sobierańska-Grenda announced a maximum hourly rate of 240 PLN gross, intended to act as an upper limit for earnings in the public system, potentially capping full-time monthly wages at approximately 40,000 PLN gross. While acknowledging the potential for professional resistance, NFZ head Dr. Filip Nowak described these measures as necessary to address excessive personnel costs that undermine the system.

Regulating Employment and Medical Contracts

The Ministry will prohibit hospitals from signing commercial contracts with private physician companies, citing concerns regarding transparency and accountability. Facilities will now be required to disclose the terms and costs of any private contractors providing medical services.

Medical staff will be mandated to hold at least a half-time employment contract at a single hospital. Any additional work in other medical entities will require explicit approval from the primary employer. Furthermore, the ministry intends to limit medical practitioners to a maximum of two full-time equivalent workloads to ensure patient safety and provider rest.

Digitalization and Queue Management

The government plans to accelerate the implementation of a central e-registration system, aiming for completion by 2027 to cover 39 medical specialties. This system will allow patients to schedule, reschedule, or cancel visits, ensuring greater visibility and resource allocation.

A new e-queue system will be launched by the end of the year to manage elective procedures, aiming to eliminate unauthorized priority access. The system will provide patients with their specific position in the queue and inform them of the fastest available options for treatment across the healthcare network.

Addressing Systemic Failures

The reform initiative follows persistent reports of irregularities, including opaque financial settlements and excessive individual earnings. Minister Sobierańska-Grenda emphasized that the system must move away from favoring personal interests over patient care, noting that nearly 300 legislative and regulatory acts have been processed over the last 11 months.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk demanded urgent structural solutions regarding wage irregularities and hospital administration, warning that failure to act would result in personnel changes. These measures serve as a direct response to recent controversies, such as those identified at the Warsaw Southern Hospital.