Doctors and hospital directors are sounding the alarm. Next year, the National Health Fund (NFZ) will face a multibillion-zloty shortfall. Without immediate government action, the system could collapse. There won’t be enough money for treatment, and waiting times for specialists will grow even longer. Experts say it outright: this is no longer a crisis – it’s the beginning of a breakdown.
More and more signals indicate that the Polish healthcare system has entered its most difficult period in years. Health Minister Jolanta Sobierańska-Grenda has publicly confirmed that next year’s NFZ budget will be short by about 14 billion złotys. In 2026, the deficit is expected to rise to 23 billion. These are amounts that cannot be balanced without additional budgetary support.
“If no new sources of funding are introduced, the system will not be able to bear the cost of treating patients,” admitted the health minister plainly.
Representatives from across the sector – local governments, trade unions, medical chambers, and hospital directors – agree. Together, they have issued an appeal to Prime Minister Donald Tusk for urgent action and for government oversight of healthcare financing.
Hospitals Will Have to Close
The signatories warn that the lack of decisive measures will lead to reduced access to services, suspension of planned surgeries, and closure of hospital departments. In their view, Poland faces a scenario in which more and more patients will be left without real access to treatment.
The situation is made worse by the Act on Minimum Wages in Healthcare. Under this law, every year on July 1, the salaries of doctors, nurses, paramedics, and pharmacists automatically increase. The adjustment index is tied to official GUS statistics, meaning wages rise even when NFZ funding remains unchanged. As a result, hospitals bear ever-increasing costs that their existing contracts can’t cover. The Health Ministry admits that without additional state subsidies, the Fund will not be able to carry out all its statutory obligations.
In September, NFZ President Filip Nowak announced that the Fund’s financial plan for 2025 had been increased by about 13 billion złotys compared to the original version. However, that’s still not enough to meet actual needs. In the draft budget for 2026, a 26-billion-zloty subsidy was planned, but the finance minister rejected the document, calling its assumptions too optimistic. In practice, this means that even if the allocation is increased, the financial gap will remain enormous.
On the Edge of Collapse
Worse yet, the issue goes far beyond wages. Hospitals report a sharp rise in energy, medication, and medical equipment costs. Some facilities are already running deficits, and in the coming months they may be forced to lay off staff or close departments. Experts warn that the healthcare system is teetering on the edge of viability. In many regions, there’s already a shortage of medical personnel, and patients wait months to see a specialist. Under such conditions, any further cost increases could become the tipping point.
Medical associations warn that further delays in government action could result in some hospitals stopping patient admissions altogether. In their appeal to the government, they wrote plainly:
“Without immediate financial support, Poland’s healthcare system is headed for collapse.”
The authors emphasize that this is no longer a warning, but a real and imminent threat to the continuity of medical care in Poland.