The municipal hospital in Nowogard (Goleniów County) has announced the suspension, until the end of January, of its internal medicine and general surgery departments. The reason is a shortage of doctors. The decision was taken with the consent of the National Health Fund (NFZ) and the voivode, and patients requiring internal medicine or surgical hospitalization will be referred to other facilities.
A notice on the suspension of operations of two departments of the Independent Public Regional Hospital in Nowogard was published on the hospital’s website. It explained that the request was submitted by the hospital’s director, with approval granted by the Szczecin branch of the National Health Fund. The formal decision was issued on December 31, 2025, by the West Pomeranian voivode. The internal medicine and surgery departments are to remain closed until January 31, 2026.
The Independent Public Regional Hospital at Wojska Polskiego Street in Nowogard is a municipal hospital. It includes internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, neonatology, and pediatrics departments, as well as outpatient clinics, including cardiology, orthopedics, and neurology.
The West Pomeranian Voivodeship Office received the request for consent to temporarily close two departments of the Nowogard hospital on December 19.
“In the justification for the request, the hospital director cited a shortage of internal medicine specialist physicians employed at the hospital, as well as the submission of resignations effective December 31, 2025, by all doctors employed in the surgical department,” said Piotr Pieleszek from the press office of the Voivodeship Office.
He emphasized that the voivode approved the director’s request but at the same time “obliged the hospital” to ensure, among other things, “free transport by medical transport services, taking into account medical indications, to the nearest healthcare provider offering services in the appropriate scope.” The Nowogard facility is to continue performing, among other services, laboratory tests and diagnostic imaging. The hospital must also ensure “continuity of care” with respect to hospitalization in the internal medicine and surgical departments (i.e., securing beds in other hospitals) as well as the operation of the admissions department.
“Temporary closure of the departments, if the director of the Independent Public Regional Hospital in Nowogard submits such a request, may be extended for a maximum of six months,” Pieleszek explained.
At the end of 2025, the mayor of Nowogard, Michał Wiatr, informed via his social media channels about a “recovery plan” for the hospital. He also presented the idea of transforming the facility into a municipal company in which the City and Municipality of Nowogard would be the majority shareholder. Neighboring local governments have also expressed interest in joining. Wiatr admitted that the main problem facing the hospital is “access to staff.”
On January 2, the hospital’s website published a notice titled “Polish Healthcare in 2026,” announcing “changes” and “new developments.”
“Certainly, in 2026 the Independent Public Regional Hospital in Nowogard will be part of the changes in the Polish healthcare system aimed at facilitating patients’ access to medical services and improving the organization of work in hospitals and other medical facilities,” the statement read.