The NRL spokesman warns: some hospitals are no longer accepting new patients, including oncology patients.
Disturbing reports are coming in from across Poland about hospitals stopping accepting new patients, said Jakub Kosikowski, spokesman for the Supreme Medical Council (NRL). He told PAP that this also applies to cancer patients, with treatment for many of them being postponed until next year.
The reason for the restrictions is the exhaustion of annual funding limits from the National Health Fund . In some voivodeships, including Pomerania, it is already known that some elective procedures will be postponed until 2026 .
"Since the National Health Fund hasn't paid for several months, hospitals have begun to impose limits on their own. They are no longer able to finance treatment," Kosikowski emphasized.
According to an NRL spokesperson, most restrictions are not officially announced . Hospitals do not issue formal announcements, but in practice they limit access to treatment.
– We are talking about a situation in which patients are told that they will not start treatment before the new year because "there is no money to treat them," explains Kosikowski.
An example are drug programs, such as the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis , in which new patients are not accepted despite the formal lack of limits.
The spokesperson noted that decisions to limit treatment depend on the financial situation of the hospital and the regional National Health Fund . Facilities with a financial cushion can continue to treat patients, but for many facilities, this poses a serious risk of losing liquidity.
Last week, the National Health Fund announced that it had received an additional PLN 3.5 billion , which reduced this year's budget gap to approximately PLN 10.5 billion .
– This is good news because it means that some patients will receive treatment on time, but there is still a shortage of over PLN 10 billion – Kosikowski noted.
The total subsidy for the National Health Fund in 2025 has already reached PLN 31 billion , and Prime Minister Donald Tusk has ordered the transfer of another PLN 1 billion from bonds . However, according to data from the Ministry of Health, the funding gap in 2026 could reach as much as PLN 23 billion .
Of greatest concern are reports of delayed admissions for cancer patients , for whom delays in treatment can be particularly serious. The National Health Fund (NRL) is calling for urgent corrective action and transparent communication between the National Health Fund (NFZ) and medical facilities.
As doctors emphasize, the problem does not concern individual hospitals, but the entire system – and its effects may be felt by thousands of patients across Poland.
Updated: 03/11/2025 16:04
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