Ministry of Health: There will be an oversupply of doctors in Poland
One of the topics of last week’s talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Poland was – according to “The Times of India” – among others: cooperation in the health sector. Indian media wrote in the context of this visit that Poland was struggling with a shortage of approximately 25,000 doctors and specialists. and therefore the Polish government wants to attract Indian doctors and healthcare professionals by offering them the opportunity to work in the country, provided they learn the Polish language and pass the necessary exams.
In its response to the PAP, the Ministry of Health noted that there will be an excess of medical staff in Poland in the coming years.
“The Health Ministry has no information about the potential arrival of doctors from India or incentives to work in Poland. We cannot confirm the information that Poland is struggling with a shortage of 25,000 doctors. The number of people starting medical studies every year has increased by more than 300 percent. Current analyses indicate that in the coming years Poland will face an ‘oversupply’ of medical personnel,” the Health Ministry’s media office noted in a response to PAP.
Why is there a shortage of doctors in some specialties?
The Ministry of Health’s analysis shows that the supply and demand lines for medical personnel will intersect in 2025. After 2030, the demand for doctors is estimated at 144,000, and the number of doctors at the same point in the timeline will be 169,000. However, there is a shortage of medical personnel in specific specialties and regions. In the case of internal medicine, pediatrics and general surgery, the number of doctors reaching retirement age significantly exceeds those completing specialist training. Despite the opening of vacancies, there are no people willing to specialize in child psychiatry. The greatest shortage of medical personnel occurs in regions where medical schools do not train doctors or have only recently begun to do so.
Jakub Kosikowski, spokesman for the Supreme Medical Council, emphasized that In Poland there is a problem with access to doctors only in the public health system.
– You cannot go to a doctor on the National Health Fund. When a patient tries to see a doctor for money, it is usually on the same day or the next day, except in narrow specialties such as child psychiatry. – said Kosikowski. He noted that there is a shortage of doctors in the public system not only due to salaries, but also due to working conditions, which include a shortage of doctors on call, bureaucracy and a lack of assistants who can alleviate the doctors’ workload.
According to the Ministry of Health, in 2022 there were 3.6 doctors per thousand inhabitants in Poland. In turn, according to data from the Supreme Medical Chamber from 2024, 4.2 doctors per thousand inhabitants have the active right to practice the profession.
Can foreign doctors save the Polish healthcare system?
Lawyer, Ph.D. law Radosław Tymiński highlighted that To practice in Poland, a doctor must be a member of the medical chamber and have the right to practice in Poland, which is granted by the district medical council.. The lawyer added that this right can be granted to a person who has appropriate qualifications, is a citizen of Poland or another EU member state and also has “adequate health and impeccable ethical attitude”. For citizens of EU countries, diplomas are, by default, mutually recognized. However, a doctor, an EU citizen who wants to provide treatment in Poland, must also pass the final medical examination (LEK) or the final medical and dental examination (LDEK), complete an internship and obtain the right to practice at the district medical council.
A doctor from a country outside the European Union, such as India, must first obtain recognition of his or her medical qualifications. There are two ways in which this can be done. A doctor from a non-EU country can nostrify a diploma, i.e. compensate for the difference in the educational program of a Polish university. Nostrification of a diploma means that it is equivalent to a diploma from a Polish university. The second way is to pass the medical verification examination (LEW) or the medical and dental verification examination (LDEW), which takes place twice a year.
– LEW checks the doctor’s knowledge. Passing the exam proves that the training acquired allows you to advance to the next stages of the process of obtaining the right to practice the profession of doctor.. This is extremely important because previous experience shows that the LEW does not exceed 7%. taking the exam – said Tyminski.
Once the qualifications are recognised, a non-EU doctor wishing to work in Poland must pass the final medical examination (LEK) or the final medical and dental examination (LDEK), complete an internship and obtain the right to practise the profession. at the district medical council in whose area you intend to practice your profession.
Tymiński explained that Knowledge of the Polish language is officially required to practice as a doctor in Poland and every foreigner must prove it.
– This must be knowledge at the level of adequate communication with patients and the medical team.. The exam that tests knowledge of the Polish language is organized by the Supreme Medical Council – he said.
The lawyer emphasized that when hiring foreign doctors from outside the EU, you should be aware of the following: Medical errors can occur as a result of cultural differences or language errors.