Poland faces critical shortage of geriatricians amid aging population

Poland is grappling with a critical shortage of geriatricians, a situation exacerbated by a rapidly aging population. In 2024, only 559 geriatricians were practicing in the country, translating to a mere 1.5 specialists per 100,000 residents. This figure lags significantly behind countries like the United Kingdom (3.3) and Sweden (4).

Professor Tomasz Targowski, the national consultant in geriatrics, acknowledges that the specialty is not highly popular among younger doctors. However, he notes a slight, albeit slow, increase in the number of practicing geriatricians. Between 2019 and 2024, the number grew by 79, a 16% rise. Despite this growth, the number of elderly patients is increasing at a faster rate, leaving many without the specialized care they need.

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Geriatrics is not particularly popular, especially among the younger generation of medics.

The disparity in access to geriatric care is stark across Poland. While 74 geriatric wards and 116 outpatient clinics are slated to operate in 2025, their distribution is uneven. The Silesian Voivodeship leads with 14 wards and 21 clinics, while the most populous Masovian Voivodeship has only 5 wards and 15 clinics. Some regions, like Świętokrzyskie, have as few as two wards and two clinics, and West Pomeranian Voivodeship has only one ward despite four clinics.

Compounding the issue, in 2022, geriatric beds were available in just 64 out of approximately 380 districts. Although Poland has a high number of hospital beds overall within the OECD, only 1% were designated for geriatric patients in 2022. With over 10 million Poles aged 60 and above, and projections indicating they could constitute nearly half the population by 2060, the need for robust geriatric services, including specialized hospitals and coordinated care, is becoming increasingly urgent.

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Geriatrics developed over the years based on bottom-up initiatives from the medical community.