Poles divided on separating doctors' work in public and private healthcare

A significant portion of the Polish public, nearly 41%, believes doctors should be permitted to hold positions in both public and private healthcare sectors. Despite this, a majority of respondents, 53.5%, favor separating these roles, indicating a societal expectation for greater transparency and order in healthcare regulations.

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The majority's preference for separation can be seen as an expression of societal expectation for greater transparency and order in the current rules. However, it does not predetermine the choice of a single solution, especially since almost 40% of respondents favor retaining the possibility of working in both sectors.

Marcin Martyniak, director of the Provincial Hospital in Kielce and former deputy health minister, notes that the public's preference for separation does not equate to a consensus on how to implement it. He emphasizes that respondents may interpret "separation" differently, ranging from a complete ban on additional employment to controls on working hours or conflict-of-interest mitigation.

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We are not dealing with full social consensus that would justify the automatic implementation of a single regulatory model.

Wojciech Wiśniewski, a healthcare expert, points out that while political parties advocate for separating public and private healthcare, concrete plans remain elusive. He raises practical challenges, questioning how to manage primary care, which is predominantly private, and specialized care, where private practices constitute about 70%. The potential impact on patient access if private providers withdraw from public contracts also remains a concern.

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One cannot assume that all respondents understood this question in the same way. For some, separation might have meant a complete ban on additional employment, for others, control over total working hours, limiting work in specific areas, or eliminating situations that create conflicts of interest.

Proposals to ban doctors from working in both sectors have been put forth by parties like Law and Justice and The Left. The aim is to curb the practice of patients bypassing public healthcare queues by using private referrals. The government is exploring solutions, including monitoring hospital waiting lists via a National Health Fund application.

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In recent times, successive political groups have pointed to the necessity of separating public and private healthcare. To date, however, no one has specified what this would look like in practice.