The number of delivery rooms decreased from 406 in 2010 to 305 in 2025 – according to data from the Ministry of Health. At the meeting of the parliamentary team, experts pointed out that there were no comprehensive solutions for women who were far from a hospital with a maternity ward.
Perinatal safety in the face of closing maternity wards was the topic of Tuesday's parliamentary meeting of the Patient Rights Team.
Deputy Director in the Department of Analysis and Strategy at the Ministry of Health Dominika Janiszewska-Kajka pointed out that the number of births decreased from 403 thousand in 2010 to 244 thousand in 2024
On the other hand the number of maternity wards – as reported – has decreased since 2010 from 406 to 305 in 2025. In 2020, 18 wards were suspended, in 2021 – 26, in 2022 – 38, in 2023 – 18, in 2024 – 29, 2025 – 27, in 2026 – 12.
As for closed branches, yes in 2020 there were 12, in 2021 – 10, in 2022 – 11, in 2023 – 7, in 2024 – 11, in 2025 – 27. According to data from the Ministry of Health, as of January 2026, three branches were closed.
The dramatic situation of women giving birth
Janiszewska-Kajka pointed out that the reason for suspending or closing maternity wards is the systematic decline in the number of deliveries. She recalled that on January 31, 2026, the regulation on guaranteed benefits in the field of hospital treatment entered into force. The changes ensure 24-hour midwifery care in hospitals without a maternity ward. – The Emergency Department and the admission room are not places where deliveries are supposed to take place – noted Janiszewska-Kajka, pointing out that this is a “minimum organizational condition.”
During the discussion, MPs and representatives of non-governmental organizations pointed out that in some regions, e.g. Podkarpacie, “the situation is dramatic” – women are forced to rent apartments away from home to be close to a hospital with a maternity ward.
The president of the Rodzi po Ludzku Foundation, Joanna Pietrusiewicz, emphasized that the consequences of closing maternity wards are borne primarily by pregnant women. She pointed out that over the last year and a half, many necessary changes have been introduced that have increased the standard of perinatal care – e.g. expanding the competences of the midwife. She also emphasized that the solutions in the Ministry of Health regulation are insufficient.
– This can't be the only answer. This is a solution that, on the one hand, is supposed to work in emergency and exceptional situations (…), but there is no answer as to why this is happening, Pietrusiewicz said. She proposed that one of the solutions could be a “birth voucher”, i.e. financial and logistical support for women living far from maternity centers. According to the foundation's president, the current situation threatens women's health safety. She emphasized that there are no comprehensive solutions because the problem is systemic.
The vice-president of the Polish Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians sees benefits in this
Vice-President of the Polish Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians, prof. Ewa Barcz said that Poland has one of the best systems of care for pregnant women. As she noted, Polish patients can benefit from 10 or 11 visits to a specialist, free vaccinations and medicines, and prenatal tests performed by specialists, not technicians, as is the case in other countries.
Prof. Barcz pointed out that in a demographic context, the closing of delivery rooms is the least reason why women decide not to have a child. She gave the example of a hospital where 400 deliveries take place a year. – To ensure 24-hour care by two doctors, we must employ at least eight doctors in this department so that they do not spend five days in a row in the hospital – said the vice-president. She added that the care of an anesthesiologist, nurse and midwife should be provided.
According to prof. Barcz Closing delivery rooms serves to improve patient safety, as doctors must maintain continuity of practice. – Would any of the patients consciously go to give birth to someone who sees labor once a week? – asked the vice president.
She pointed out that, for example, women from Siedlce choose a hospital in Warsaw or Lublin, despite the longer commute. She added that there is no data showing that women are now more likely to give birth while commuting. According to prof. Barcz, a solution could be, for example, providing a woman with a complicated pregnancy with a place in a hotel near the hospital, although – as practice shows – women themselves very rarely use such a solution.
– In my opinion, the fact that maternity wards with the lowest volume of deliveries are closed is only to our advantage – emphasized the vice-president of the Polish Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians.
Preliminary data from the Central Statistical Office published in July show that in the first half of 2025, approximately 115.5 thousand were registered. live births, i.e. by over 10 thousand less than a year earlier. In 2024, nearly 252,000 were born. kids; in 2023 – 272 thousand; in 2022 – 305 thousand For comparison, during the baby boom in the 1980s, over 700,000 children were born in Poland. children per year. (PAP)
kkr/ agz/
