The Ministry of the Interior and Administration presented a draft amendment to the Act on helping Ukrainians in Poland related to the ongoing armed conflict. It provides for limiting access to health services for Ukrainian citizens who are not subject to compulsory or voluntary health insurance. Current regulations – introduced in February 2022 – They provide them with the opportunity to use benefits financed from the state budget, on the same terms as Poles.
The project is the second attempt to amend these provisions. President Karol Nawrocki previously vetoed a similar proposal, arguing that the extension of such powers violates the principle of equality. He also submitted his own draft amendment, in which the right to full health care was made dependent on having insurance. However, the Sejm, thanks to Marshal Szymon Hołownia, returned the presidential document to supplement due to formal deficiencies.
The amendment prepared by the Ministry of Interior and Administration is assumed to reduce the number of benefits available to uninsured Ukrainians. Restrictions will include spa treatment, health programs of the Minister of Health, supplying reimbursed drugs or medical devices, as well as some surgical procedures, including transplants and orthopedic procedures. In the justification of the project, the Resort pointed to the need to minimize the impact of help for Ukrainians on limited availability of health services for Poles and the need to reduce budget expenditure.
“It is necessary to counteract situations in which Ukrainian citizens come to Poland with the intention of using only Ukrainian health programs, such as dental treatment or planned orthopedic procedures” – emphasizes the Ministry of Interior and Administration in the justification.
At the same time, the ministry points out that restrictions will not cover children under 18 years of age and insured Ukrainians. The Ministry of Health proposed further guarantees that people who reach adults during treatment have the right to end the therapy. Benefits for persons who suffered physically as a result of hostilities conducted in Ukraine were also requested.
MZ also estimated that changes in the access of Ukrainians to health services will bring savings in the Aid Fund. The ministry provides for PLN 10.76 million in savings in the last months of 2025, and another PLN 18.55 million in the first quarter of 2026. In the same period, the total cost of healthcare for Ukrainian citizens will amount to PLN 102.2 million in 2025 and PLN 176.2 million in 2026, respectively.
