Poland introduces salary cap for doctors in the state healthcare system

The Polish government, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, is preparing legislative changes to limit the maximum incomes of doctors in the state public healthcare system. According to the proposed new framework, the monthly remuneration of specialists will not exceed 16 times the minimum wage, which is equivalent to approximately 76,800 PLN (about 17,700 EUR).

The initiative is a response to public tensions and media investigations that revealed cases of unregulated payments and excessively long shifts. The Prime Minister emphasized that the goal is not to reduce the incomes of medical personnel, but to establish transparency and eliminate abuses where doctors worked around the clock to generate extremely high sums.

Key changes in the reform:

• Income limitation: Introduction of a monthly cap for doctors receiving the maximum hourly rate.
• Working hours control: Limiting working opportunities to the equivalent of two full working days, with the aim of increasing patient safety.
• Termination of percentage-based remuneration: Removal of the system where pay depends on the value of performed medical procedures, which until now created an incentive for unnecessarily expensive treatment.

For the Bulgarian reader and the regional context, this news is significant as it illustrates how state authorities attempt to balance the need for competitive salaries for medical staff with the need for strict control over public funds and service quality. The reforms are to be introduced to Parliament in September for more in-depth public consultations.