ForeignerDeck » Basic information on the health care system in Poland

In Poland, you can be treated in the public health service (free of charge) or privately (you must then pay for the healthcare services).

If you wish to receive healthcare services free of charge, you must be insured with the National Health Fund (NFZ). With NFZ insurance, you can also use the services of private medical facilities, but such a facility must have an agreement with the National Health Fund - more information about the NFZ is available here https://www.nfz.gov.pl/.

All persons employed in Poland, including foreigners, are subject to compulsory health insurance. This means that a monthly contribution is paid from their salary to the NFZ (this is usually done by the employer). After the appropriate registration with the NFZ, the members of the insured person's immediate family (spouses and grandparent children and parents living in a joint household with the insured person) may also benefit from the health care services to which the insured person is entitled, if they are not otherwise insured.

If a person (including a foreigner) is not insured with the National Health Service, he or she can benefit from health care, but only against payment. If the person has an insurance policy taken out with a private company, the use of healthcare is paid for by that insurance company. In many private medical facilities, it is possible to purchase what is known as a subscription, i.e. you pay a certain amount to the facility each month, for which you receive a package of specific medical services. Prices vary depending on the facility and the services that can be purchased. Detailed information can be obtained from individual private insurance companies.

As a rule, foreigners staying in Poland on the basis of a visa cannot use the public health service in Poland free of charge.

Citizens of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Russia, Serbia and Tunisia are entitled to benefit from certain healthcare services financed from public funds on the basis of agreements that their countries have concluded with Poland. The agreements apply only to certain benefits or only to certain groups of foreigners. To find out more, consult your embassy or consulate - their contact details can be found here

Russian citizens temporarily staying in Poland are entitled to free health care services in case of sudden illnesses and accidents, until the patient's condition allows transportation to his/her country of origin.

What is a referral:

A referral is a document issued by a doctor ordering an examination or allowing you to register with a specialist. Referrals to specialists are needed as part of the National Health Service. If you want to see a specialist for free or to have an examination, the referral must also be made by a doctor within the scope of the National Health Service (not the doctor you have seen for free).

Useful links:

Patient Ombudsman - http://www.bpp.gov.pl

Patient's Charter of Rights - http://www.bpp.gov.pl/czesc_ogolna.html

ZUS handbook "Social and health insurance of Poles employed abroad and foreigners working in Poland". − https://www.zus.pl/documents/10182/167567/porad21.pdf/dd301159-e1e4-42ec-8106-929e86c330ba