Lack of funding from the National Health Fund. The University Clinical Center of the Medical University of Warsaw is limiting hospitalizations and drug programs.

The University Clinical Center of the Medical University of Warsaw (UCK WUM) is postponing planned hospitalizations until 2026 due to unpaid payments from the National Health Fund (NFZ). The hospital has provided services worth nearly 200 million złoty over its limit, for which it has not received funding. The situation at UCK WUM highlights the growing financial crisis in the Polish healthcare system, which, as Health Minister Jolanta Sobierańska-Grenda admits, is approaching its limits.

The University Clinical Center of the Medical University of Warsaw , one of the largest hospitals in Poland, announced the postponement of planned hospitalizations until 2026. The decision applies, among others, to the hospital on Banacha Street, which has nearly 1,000 beds and admits approximately 70,000 patients annually.

As reported by director Marzena Kowalczyk , from January to September 2025 the hospital provided services exceeding the limits of contracts with the National Health Fund for the amount of almost PLN 200 million .

The situation is made worse by the fact that the National Health Fund did not provide a material and financial plan for November and December , which means that the hospital could provide services without a guarantee of payment.

Due to a lack of funding, the University Clinical Center at the Medical University of Warsaw has also introduced restrictions on its drug programs . Medications are now only issued to patients for one month instead of three .

Despite financial difficulties, the hospital continues to treat children and patients with life-threatening emergencies , including oncological and hematological patients .

The Masovian Voivodeship Branch of the National Health Fund announced that it is in the process of amending contracts with medical facilities , which is to ensure the continuity of services in November and December.

Filip Nowak, President of the National Health Fund, reassured that patients can feel safe, announcing the release of an additional billion zlotys to finance services.

Finance Minister Andrzej Domański announced a meeting with Health Minister Jolanta Sobierańska-Grenda to discuss the management of the National Health Fund (NFZ) funds. In 2025, the Fund already received PLN 3.5 billion from the state budget for settlements with facilities, but according to Ministry of Health estimates, the NFZ's funding gap in 2026 could reach PLN 23 billion .

In an interview with money.pl, Jolanta Sobierańska-Grenda admitted that the healthcare system is approaching the limits of its financial capabilities .

Talks are underway between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance about allocating an additional PLN 4 billion this year. To date, PLN 3.4 billion has already been transferred to the National Health Fund, and another PLN 1 billion is expected to come from bonds.

The minister assured that this year's problems would be brought under control, but warned that 2026 could bring even greater difficulties .

The Ministry of Health plans to limit the pace of salary increases for medical professionals , which currently consume over a quarter of the National Health Fund's budget . One solution being considered is to freeze the minimum wage law for two years or postpone the next raise from July 2026 to January 2027.

There were also proposals to set upper earnings limits – from PLN 200 to PLN 230 per hour, which would amount to PLN 40,000–48,000 per month.

The Minister also announced the implementation of central e-registration from January 2026. Initially, the system will cover cardiology, mammography, and cytology , followed by another nine services.

Twenty percent of traditional registration slots have been reserved for digitally excluded people, and a voice bot is scheduled to launch in July 2026 .

In parallel, the ministry is working with Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK) on a loan system for indebted hospitals – up to one billion złoty annually. A portion of the debt (approximately 10%) is to be written off after the implementation of recovery programs.

Both financial data and the decisions of major medical facilities, such as the University Clinical Clinical Center of the Medical University of Warsaw , show that the Polish healthcare system requires immediate reform . Although the government has announced further measures and support mechanisms, mounting debt and delays in payments from the National Health Fund (NFZ) may mean that the healthcare system's financial crisis will deepen even further in 2026.