Polish health problems

HEADNOTE

The Polish economy seems in good shape, but what about its healthcare system?

Devising an effective, fair, accessible and cost-conscious healthcare system is difficult for any country, let alone those in

transition. Poland has been grappling with healthcare reform for over a decade and though progress has been slow and piecemeal, some important reforms were implemented over the past few years. Getting them to work implies a change in attitude and habits not only on the part of medical practitioners, but also the general public, and that takes time.

The healthcare system that Poland inherited in 1990 from the Soviet bloc era offered universal coverage with a comprehensive programme of healthcare benefits distributed through facilities owned and run by the state. But the system was over-- centralised, over-specialised and costly. it was also poorly managed. Regional inequalities, rationing and misallocation of resources emerged, with growing unofficial payments to public healthcare providers. Increasingly, patients perceived the quality of care to be poor and the general public's dissatisfaction has grown.