2026-02-23 07:40
publication
2026-02-23 07:40
No institution in Poland knows exactly how much doctors earn. Most use the median salary – writes Monday's “Gazeta Wyborcza”.
“Wyborcza” obtained information about doctors' salaries. From July 1, the basic salary of a full-time doctor will be at least PLN 13,000. PLN, and nurses – PLN 11.5 thousand. zloty. The National Health Fund does not have money for raises, and the Ministry of Health does not have a bill that could stop the salary increase.
The myth of the “ubiquitous” 100,000
However, there are myths about the high earnings of doctors. According to “GW” – more than 100 thousand Only 400 to 800 doctors earn PLN a month in Poland for approximately 200,000 practitioners – according to data from the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System.
A doctor from Warsaw: – There is still a discussion about why we earn so much and why we are greedy. But the famous invoices for PLN 100,000 PLN per mille applies to doctors who perform highly valued, very specialized procedures. I don't get that much – we read “GW”.
Such specialists work on contracts with extreme hours (often 300-400 hours a month).
The magic barrier of PLN 10,000 net – standard or luxury
Sum 10 thousand PLN “on hand” has become a new point of reference in the discussion about doctors' salaries in the capital.
In Warsaw, with current rental prices, mortgage installments and service costs, this amount does not allow for living at the level of the “financial elite”, or rather the upper middle class.
The “multiple jobs” trap
The truth about doctors' earnings lies not in the hourly rate, but in the number of hours worked.
Most doctors who can afford a high standard of living achieve it through combining work in several places: in the morning in a public hospital, in the afternoon in a private clinic, and at night on duty.
Without “earning money” outside the home job, the salary of a doctor in Warsaw is comparable to mid-level salaries in corporations or the IT industry.
So how much does a doctor earn? Depends on how tired he is. A doctor working full-time in Warsaw earns an average salary 10-13 thousand PLN net. To earn a legendary fortune, he must give up his private life and work two or three jobs.
The problem of lack of transparency and the “empty wallet” of the National Health Fund
Szymon Osowski, president of the management board of the Watchdog Polska Civic Network, reminds that the remuneration of doctors and nurses employed on contracts should be made public. – The remuneration of heads and clinic managers is public in employment contracts. In the case of doctors who do not perform managerial functions, the hospital should provide amounts for positions – reports “GW”.
Meanwhile, most hospitals refused to provide the newspaper with information, ignored the requests, did not respond, asked for clarification of the questions, or responded to the request in order to prove that they could not provide any information. – we read in “GW”. The Municipal Hospital in Gliwice refused to disclose the amount of contracts paid to doctors, citing… company secrets.
According to “GW”, in some institutions the remuneration does not depend on the number of hours worked, but on the value of the procedures they performed during work.
– Disclosure of accurate data is not in the interest of hospital managers. However, the problem is not wages, but the system. Maps of health needs do not work if there are hospitals on two sides of the street that have different owners, but the same departments and compete for the same staff – says “GW” – Łukasz Jankowski, president of the Supreme Medical Council.
(PAP)
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