• January 22, 2025

Medical services

In 3-4 decades, Poles will be the second or third oldest society in the EU. This means a steep increase in the costs of medical care, which in the case of people under 65 is estimated at an average of PLN 1.2 thousand per year, and above that age - at PLN 3.5 thousand. In addition, Poland lacks doctors and nurses in order to prevent medical staff from emigrating, it is necessary to increase their salaries.

- In Poland, unlike many other European Union countries or in the world, the cost of treatment will be strongly influenced by the demographic factor over the coming years. We are a society that is ranked 212th out of 240 countries in the fertility rate," says Newseria Biznes Łukasz Zalicki, partner of EY. - Due to the fact that we have such a low fertility rate, the rate of aging will be very high. In the next 30-40 years, we will be the second or third oldest society in the European Union.

The fertility rate in Poland is one of the lowest in the world. It is currently calculated at 1.3 (per woman), while the rate of 2.1 ensures generational replacement, i.e. it guarantees that the population and the proportions of the different age groups are maintained at the same level. According to Eurostat estimates, already in 2020 every fourth Pole will be more than 60 years old.

- The growth of older people in relation to younger generations in society will be the fastest among all EU Member States. This will cause that statistically a larger group of elderly people will require more cost-intensive procedures - says Zalicki. - We estimated that in the current structure of services financed by the National Health Fund, the annual average cost per citizen aged 0 to 65 is about PLN 1.2 thousand per year, while the cost of services for people over 65 is PLN 3.5 thousand on average.

Higher costs result both from higher morbidity of older people, including chronic diseases, and from the entry into force of new technologies. They improve the quality of treatment, but also increase its costs.

Medical costs

Another factor increasing the costs of medical services is the low number of doctors, who often emigrate to countries where they can earn many times more and work shorter, and in better conditions, e.g. to Sweden, Norway or Germany. Today, there are 22 doctors for every 10,000 Poles, which is the smallest in the European Union. Zalicki adds that there are only 9 medical students per 100,000 patients, which is also one of the lowest rates in the EU.

- We cannot ignore the rising costs of salaries of doctors, nursing staff, as well as other medical professions, laboratory diagnostics, sterilization employees, sterilization specialists, physiotherapists and other professions - says Robert Mołdach, advisor to the President of the Employers of the Republic of Poland. - This competition was undervalued for many years. Today, we are discussing the increase in salaries in these professions, because the group of people who want to cultivate them is shrinking.

An additional factor contributing to price increases in the medical industry is the growing awareness of patients, who are more likely to take advantage of both medical care and prevention. They also expect applications for diagnostics and therapy of the most modern technologies.

- If we look at the countries that spend the most on health care, the expenditure there is many times higher than in Poland - says Mołdach. - Let us remember that we spend this money in the zloty, and other countries in the euro, so even if the percentage is two to three times higher, it is often many times higher in absolute amounts. We will not avoid an increase in healthcare spending, and as a country, as a health system, as a provider, as well as patients and payers, we must understand this state of affairs and prepare ourselves well for it.

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