Around 160 county hospitals took part in the culmination of the protest under the slogan “Black Week,” said Deputy President of the employers’ association Tomasz Paczkowski. “We are now waiting for a response from the Ministry of Health”, he noted, pointing to problems with funding and the valuation of services. The ministry responds that dialogue with facility representatives “is ongoing”, and that discussions take place, among others, within the framework of the Tripartite Team for Healthcare.
The protest was linked to the increasingly difficult financial situation of medical facilities. It lasted from April 20 to 24 under the slogan “Black Week.” Its most important moment was Wednesday’s minute of silence in front of hospitals, in which staff participated.
“We have information that around 160 facilities took part in this symbolic gesture”, said Tomasz Paczkowski, Deputy President of the National Association of Employers of County Hospitals, in a statement to the Polish Press Agency (PAP). The association organized the protest.
“We are now waiting for a response from the Ministry of Health. It is hard for us to imagine that the participation of over a hundred hospitals confirming that the situation is difficult will go unnoticed”, he added.
He indicated that the organization hopes talks with the Ministry of Health will take place. These would concern the problems raised during the protest. Among them, Paczkowski mentioned the valuation of medical procedures.
“They are unrealistic and do not reflect the rising costs borne by hospitals”, he said.
He also pointed to the upcoming wage increases for staff, which are to be paid starting July 1.
“We would like to know under what conditions this will take place, and whether hospitals will receive these additional funds”, he stressed.
During the protest, organizers communicated that they expect changes in financing, stable rules – including a long-term strategy – and dialogue with the government.
Anna Choszcz-Sędrowska, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, told PAP that dialogue with hospital directors and presidents is ongoing.
“We meet every month during the sessions of the Tripartite Team for Healthcare; the next meeting is scheduled for May 26”, the spokesperson noted.
A report by the Association of Polish Counties shows that over 90 percent of county hospitals ended 2025 with a financial loss, averaging PLN 6 million. The analysis covered 207 facilities. Of these, 125 had overdue liabilities in 2025 – meaning debts whose repayment deadlines had already passed. According to the report’s authors, a situation in which the financial balance is negative “is becoming the dominant operating model for this group of entities”.
In September 2025, a law reforming the hospital system came into force. It allows hospitals to consolidate and reorganize departments without the risk of losing their contract with the National Health Fund (NFZ). The Ministry of Health argues that it is adapting the healthcare system to realities determined by demographics. The changes are also driven by a funding gap in healthcare. In the NFZ budget for 2026 (amounting to PLN 221 billion), the gap was initially estimated at PLN 23 billion; the ministry now says approximately PLN 18 billion is missing.
