A Polish parliamentarian has proposed a monthly 200-300 złoty pension supplement for regular blood donors, sparking debate about honoring donors while maintaining volunteer principles.
Proposal Details
During a February 12, 2026 meeting of the Sejm’s Permanent Sub-Committee on the Organization of Health Protection, PiS MP Patryk Wicher proposed establishing a statutory pension supplement for honorary blood donors. The supplement would be valued between 200-300 złoty monthly after a specified period of blood donation.
The proposal’s authors emphasized that this would be a gesture of state gratitude, not payment for donated blood.
Ministry of Health’s Position
The Ministry of Health is approaching the proposal cautiously. Ministry representatives in the Sejm reminded that the foundation of Poland’s blood donation system is the principle of volunteerism and non-remuneration.
This aligns with EU law and new regulations on quality and safety standards for substances of human origin that will take effect from August 2027, which also promote a voluntary and non-remunerated donation model.
Current Benefits for Blood Donors
Honorary blood donors already enjoy certain rights under Polish law. A person who donates blood and registers with a blood donation center has rights including priority access to medical services and additional days off from work.
Special privileges apply to “Honorary Blood Donors of Merit” status holders—those who have donated at least 5 liters of blood (women) or 6 liters (men). They can receive medical services out of turn and obtain certain drugs free of charge up to a price limit.
Budgetary Considerations
The key question is how many people would qualify for the new supplement and what the cost would be to public finances. Although hundreds of thousands donate blood annually in Poland, only some achieve the threshold for “Honorary Blood Donor of Merit” status.
If the supplement were 300 złoty monthly, granted after achieving a certain donation period and paid for many years as part of retirement, the annual cost could reach hundreds of millions of złoty, depending on the number of eligible individuals and adopted criteria.
Implementation Questions
At this stage, there are no answers to important technical questions. It remains unknown whether the supplement would be permanent, subject to indexation, taxed, or handled through ZUS (Social Insurance Institution).
The process would require a draft law, public consultations, parliamentary approval, presidential signature, and publication in the Journal of Laws before any specific implementation date could be established.