The healthcare system in Poland is based on the principles of equal treatment and access to medical services. It is based on a number of general rules. These rules apply unless specific legislation or international agreements provide otherwise.
The National Health Fund (Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia, NFZ) is the main institution responsible for managing public funds for health care. It is the pillar of the entire health insurance system. National health policy is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health.
Foreign researchers and their families visiting and living in Poland have access to Polish state-funded health services:
- as employees, if the employer pays the health insurance contributions,
- as a doctoral student with health insurance provided by the university/institute,
- with voluntary insurance in NFZ or with a private insurance company,
- during temporary stays/visits on the basis of the European Health Insurance Card,
- who have an S1 document issued by another EU country (e.g. posted workers, family members),
- if they are insured as family members of employees in Poland.
Health insurance is compulsory in Poland. You must always provide proof of insurance when applying for a visa to Poland and when legalising your stay in Poland. If you are insured with the National Health Fund (NFZ), most state-funded health services are free of charge, with a few exceptions, such as some dental services.
Note: Health insurance is not the same as accident insurance (NNW). It covers the costs of medical treatment in Poland, which means you can go to the GP or hospital, do a diagnosis or get a discount when you buy medicine.
- Insurance of employees
As a general rule, all persons working in Poland on the basis of an employment contract (pl. umowa o pracę) or a free-for-task contract (pl. umowa zlecenia), regardless of their nationality, are subject to compulsory health insurance. This means that the monthly insurance contributions are paid by the employer at the rate of 9% of the salary base, deducted each month.
In the case of persons with a specific-task contract (pl umowa o dzieło), the employer is not obliged to cover their insurance. Therefore, They must take out insurance individually, either with the NFZ or a private insurance company (see below for more information).
- Insurance of doctoral students
In Poland, unless they are insured on another basis, for example as employees or family members, all doctoral candidates, regardless of nationality, are covered by the health insurance provided by their higher education institution. This means that doctoral students have free access to public health services. The right to use the services ends only 4 months after graduation or termination of training.
- Insurance of family members
In Poland, an insured employee is obliged to register his or her family members for health insurance coverage under the employment contract. Family members are children, spouses, parents, and grandparents, provided that they live in the same household as the employee and do not have their own title of insurance. Their personal details must be provided to the employer to register family members. If you change your employer, you will have to notify the new employer of the members of your family. No additional or higher contributions will be charged for adding family members.
- Voluntary insurance
If you are not covered by compulsory health insurance, you have to sign an individual insurance agreement with either the National Health Fund or a private insurance company/medical service provider.
It should be noted that the NFZ option is the most advantageous as it covers all state-funded medical services and any related hospital treatment. The monthly rate is PLN 662.88 until September 2023. Students and doctoral students from outside the EU pay a lower amount of PLN 55.80 monthly It may change every quarter as it is linked to the average salary in Poland. Contributions should be paid by the 15th of each month to a designated individual bank account.
However, only certain groups of foreigners can sign the voluntary NFZ agreement and these are among others:
- European Union, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland nationals,
- third-country nationals who have a visa for the purpose of work (D-6 visa), temporary residence permit, permanent residence permit, EU long-term residence permit,
- students and doctoral candidates.
This means that foreigners who have a visa for the purpose of conducting scientific research (D-13) cannot sign the voluntary NFZ agreement so they have to buy insurance from a private insurance provider.
Note: When signing the contract, NFZ will check your previous insurance period in Poland and/or other EU countries. If there is a gap of at least 3 months between the previous insurance and the planned NFZ insurance, you will have to pay an initial fee, the amount of which depends on the length of the gap. This means that foreigners coming to Poland from third countries for the first time must pay the fee. Students, including doctoral students, are exempt from this fee.
Evidence of insurance, which can be useful in some circumstances (e.g. when visiting a doctor), is a copy of the signed agreement between you and the NFZ together with the proof of payment of the last month’s contribution.
- Private insurance providers
There are many private insurance companies or medical centres that offer different personalised policies. You should be aware that private insurance does not provide the same general and equal access to medical services as the public NFZ.
The scope of private services and the resulting payments depend on the policy you buy and the contract you sign. The cheapest options cover only basic services, such as visits to general practitioners or certain specialists. More advanced services, such as more complicated dental treatment, childbirth, surgery or hospitalisation, require a more expensive policy.
Also note that private policies often have waiting periods, meaning that you cannot use certain services, usually the most expensive ones, until a certain period has elapsed, e.g. you cannot use rehabilitation or minor surgery until 60 or 120 days after you have paid your premiums.
Some employers in Poland offer their employees a private healthcare package in addition to the public insurance. Sometimes also individual citizens decide to buy private insurance in order to have quicker access to medical services.
In Poland, a primary care doctor (general practitioner, or GP) is commonly called a "first contact doctor" or "family doctor". This is because you need a referral from your GP to access more specialised medical services, such as neurologists, eye specialists, hospital treatment or medical rehabilitation. A referral is not required for emergencies or for services provided by the following doctors: oncologist, gynaecologist, psychiatrist, venereologist and dentist, which means that you can register for the visit whenever you need to.
To see your family doctor, you must first register at one of the outpatient clinics, preferably near where you live. You will need to show your identity card or passport and proof of insurance (e.g.a document called RMUA from your employer or doctoral school). Once you are registered, you can book an appointment with a doctor or visit them immediately if they are not occupied.
- Dentist
The range of free dental services available to an insured person is limited. Children and young people up to the age of 18 and pregnant women are covered by better arrangements. You should also bear in mind that only basic dental materials are covered by the state, so you will have to pay for more advanced products used in treatment. As a result, many Poles choose private dental care.
- Pharmacy
Medicines are only available from pharmacies, except for some painkillers. Some medicines can only be obtained with a prescription from an authorised doctor. Most prescriptions are issued in electronic format (by text message - SMS with a code or by e-mail as a pdf file). You can always ask the doctor for a printed version if it is more convenient for you. Please note that most prescriptions are valid for 30 days.
The prices of medicines vary as some are reimbursed by public funds. For reimbursed medicines, patients pay a lump sum or a percentage of the price.
Some pharmacies are open 24 hours a day. They may charge an extra fee to sell medicines at night.
- Vaccines
Before vaccination, it is important to discuss the vaccination schedule with your child's doctor. Visit a medical centre and register your child with a paediatrician. After the examination, the doctor will administer the vaccination and record the data on the card. It is also important to agree on an individual vaccination plan. The national vaccination programme includes the following mandatory vaccines, which are free of charge:
Age
Vaccine against
within 24 hours after birth
tuberculosis, hepatitis B
month 2
hepatitis B, diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis, hib, pneumococci
month 3-4
diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis, polio IPV, hib, pneumococci
month 5-6
diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis, hib, polio IPV
month 7
hepatitis B
month 13-14
pneumococci, measles/mumps/rubella
month 16-18
diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis, hib, polio IPV
year 6
diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis (DTaP), polio IPV
year 14
diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis (dTap)
year 19
diphtheria/tetanus (dT)
Apart from the above mandatory vaccinations, there are recommended vaccines that are paid:
- rotavirus infection - babies between months 2 and 6
- meningococcal disease - children between months 2 and 18 years old;
- human papillomavirus infection (HPV) - girls after 12 years of age;
- varicella - after month 13;
- influenza - recommended for everyone (after month 6) before and during the flu season (autumn/winter) and especially for children (between month 6 until year 18) and adults after 65 years of age (for these 2 groups the vaccine may be free-of-charge), as well for high-risk groups e.g. people with weakened immune system or pregnant women;
- tick-borne encephalitis - after month 13;
- hepatitis A - after month 13.
In order to receive the additional vaccines you need to talk to your doctor in advance.
The National Medical Rescue System has been set up to provide help in emergencies - when delay could result in damage to health or loss of life. If you are insured, you have access to emergency medical services. If you are not insured, you will have to pay for the service.
To call an ambulance you should dial 999, which is available throughout the country, or the general emergency number 112. You can also go directly to the emergency room (SOR) of the nearest hospital.
At the reception desk, you will be asked to show your identification document (identity card, driving licence, passport or school card for children) to confirm your right to free healthcare. If you don't have your details in the electronic patient system, you can prove that you have health insurance by presenting your employment contract, a monthly report issued by your employer (called ZUS RMUA) or your contract with the National Health Fund if you have voluntary health insurance. If you don't have any of the above documents, you will have to pay for medical services. However, if you later provide proof of health insurance, you will be reimbursed.
Unconditional right to free medical services
In some cases, a foreigner, regardless of nationality and legal status, receives health care services unconditionally (even if he/she is not insured) and free of charge. This applies to urgent situations involving an immediate risk to life and health, where emergency treatment is essential, e.g. after a car accident resulting in a sudden deterioration in health leading to serious damage to health or loss of life.
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) gives you free access to necessary medical services when travelling temporarily in the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland for tourism or work purposes.
It is a two-way card, which means that anyone who is covered by the state-funded National Health Insurance Scheme in Poland can obtain an EHIC - free of charge from the National Health Insurance Scheme office responsible for their place of residence.
It is important to note, however, that the EHIC entitles you to medical services under the same conditions as a resident of a particular country. This means that if a certain service is free in Poland, it may not be free abroad.
If you are moving to another EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you should get an S1 document instead of an EHIC to get health care in your new country of residence. An S1 entitles you to healthcare if you don't live in the country where you are insured. It can be useful for posted workers, frontier workers, pensioners and their family members.
To obtain the S1 document in Poland, you must apply to the NFZ. The document should be registered with the health insurance institution in your new country of residence.
Information related to the UK:
- Polish National Health Fund: Information on Brexit and healhcare services after 2020
- UK Government: Healthcare for UK nationals in Poland