Poland’s Ministry of Health has proposed wage increases for doctors and nurses in state-funded healthcare facilities, effective January 1, 2026, with retroactive pay.
New Pay Scales for Doctors and Nurses in Budget Units
New wage rates are being prepared for doctors and nurses working in state-funded healthcare facilities. The increases could reach approximately 8.8 percent.
The Ministry of Health has drafted a plan to raise salaries for healthcare workers in budget units. The higher wages will be in effect from January 1, 2026, and employees will receive back pay.
Scope of the Regulation
The draft amendment to the regulation regarding the conditions of remuneration for employees of healthcare entities operating as budget units is under consultation. However, this does not apply to doctors and nurses employed in independent public healthcare institutions, as different regulations apply to them.
The amended regulation concerns healthcare entities fully funded from the state budget, primarily sanitary-epidemiological stations and facilities supervised by, among others, the Minister of National Defense, the Minister of the Interior, and the Minister of Justice (e.g., outpatient clinics at correctional facilities).
Minimum and Maximum Wage Rates
The regulation aims to allow employers to set basic wage amounts at no less than the currently applicable minimum wage (4806 zł in 2026), taking into account the average annual wage growth rate for the budgetary sphere stipulated in the budget law.
New rates for individual classification categories are detailed in the draft regulation’s annex. The basic rates in 2026 will range from a minimum of 4806–4996 zł to a maximum of 7470–15,840 zł.
Wage Progression and Increase Percentage
According to the Ministry of Health, the minimum monthly basic wage rates, starting from the first classification category, will increase by 10 zł in each subsequent category.
The maximum wage rates may increase by up to 8.82 percent. This rate is based on the Act of June 8, 2017, on the method of determining the minimum basic wage for certain employees employed in healthcare entities.
Maximum Rates are Not Guaranteed
The Ministry of Health emphasizes that the upper wage rates are maximum amounts, representing a possibility, not an obligation, for the employer to set an employee’s salary at that level.
The new upper rates do not automatically guarantee an 8.82 percent salary increase for doctors and nurses in budget units, as the actual increase will depend on the quantity and quality of work performed, as well as the financial resources available to the specific budget unit.
Effective Date and Retroactive Pay
The increased basic wage rates will be valid from January 1, 2026, meaning employees of healthcare entities operating as budget units will receive back pay for the months from the beginning of that year. The regulation will come into force the day after its publication.
