More time to obtain qualifications. Changes in regulations for doctors from Ukraine

On Tuesday, the Health Committee adopted an amendment extending the deadline for doctors from Ukraine to pass the language exam by one year.

The Health Committee adopted on Tuesday an amendment to the regulations on assistance to Ukrainian citizens, extending by one year deadline for obtaining a certificate of knowledge of the Polish language by doctors and dentists from Ukraine working in Poland. The new deadline is to apply until May 2027.

The change concerns the regulations introduced in 2022 in connection with the armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine. They made it possible to employ doctors from this country in the Polish health care system in a simplified manner. However, the problem was the limited dates of language exams in accredited units.

Hence, there is a large group of doctors who work in our hospitals but did not manage to submit their certificates – said KO MP Krzysztof Bojarski. He added that the change is intended to prevent a situation in which some medical staff could be forced to leave their jobs.

The requirement to have a language certificate applies to persons who have obtained the consent of the Minister of Health to practice the medical profession on the basis of an application submitted by October 24, 2024. According to the currently applicable regulations, they must present to the relevant district medical council or district council of nurses and midwives a document confirming knowledge of the Polish language at least B1 level by May 1, 2026.

According to the current solutions, some doctors from outside the EU may obtain a conditional right to practice the profession without nostrification of the diploma, postgraduate internship and examinations, including the Polish language exam in the field of communication with the patient. (PAP)

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