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The report "Digitization, investments and long-term planning - how to fix the Polish healthcare system?" focuses on the key challenges facing the Polish healthcare system in 2025.
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Healthcare in Poland - Challenges and opportunities in 2025
Despite its rapid development, the system faces an overload of hospitals and insufficient preventive care, which is essential to maintain a healthy society. In the face of emerging challenges, Strategy& experts present a number of proposals for solutions that can unblock the system.
Krzysztof Badowski
Managing Partner
Strategy& in Poland
The Polish preventive health care system faces key challenges, such as low and dispersed spending and the lack of coordinated action in health programs. Poland lags behind, not only Western European countries, but also Central and Eastern Europe in terms of the share of expenditure on prevention in total health care expenditure.
Although the planned expenditure on prevention is growing, it is not fully implemented – on average annually only ~85% of the planned funds are used, mainly due to the relatively low attractiveness for service providers compared to other therapeutic activities and low awareness among patients. The multitude of decision-makers influencing the shape of the prevention system makes it difficult to effectively coordinate activities - the prevention programs implemented by the Minister of Health and the National Health Fund overlap in terms of competences.
Michał Sławuta
Vice-Director
Strategy& in Poland
Grzegorz Orski
Vice-Director
Strategy& in Poland
The Polish health care system is still based on expensive hospital treatment. An analysis of previous attempts to reform the hospital system indicates a number of conclusions for the planning and implementation of future reforms. Denmark started a health care reform in 2007, focusing on hospitals and outpatient care, which allowed for an increase in the use of AOS (Outpatient Specialist Care) by 50% and a reduction in the number of days of hospitalization.
Despite the historic changes in the Polish hospital system, many areas still remain a challenge. The current draft of the reform assumes, among others, the consolidation of hospitals and the creation of a map of benefits. The reform of the hospital system in Poland should be designed and implemented in cooperation with industry specialists, while maintaining appropriate transparency and communication of changes.
Prevention
In 2025, the Polish healthcare system faces significant challenges, especially in the area of preventive care. Despite its rapid development, the system is struggling with insufficient preventive care, which is crucial for maintaining a healthy society.
The key challenges are:
Low level and share of expenditure on prevention
Poland is characterized by a low level of expenditure on prevention, compared to Western Europe and CEE, both in absolute terms and in the percentage share of expenditure on prevention in total expenditure on health care
System fragmentation and overlapping competences
Responsibility for individual programmes in the Polish healthcare system is fragmented – as a result, the competences of entities overlap, which results in less effective implementation
Ineffective spending of funds on prevention
The expenditure plan of the National Health Fund differs significantly from its actual implementation, mainly due to the low level of awareness among beneficiaries and the inefficiency of the use of funds
In order to improve the effectiveness of prevention in Poland, it is necessary to increase spending, better coordinate activities and educate the public. The use of modern technologies and international models can significantly contribute to improving the health of citizens.
Examples from Singapore and the UK show how technology, including AI, can be used to personalise prevention and analyse health data. Poland has tools such as the Online Patient Account and the e-health system, which can support the construction of a modern prevention system, although they require further development and better coordination.
Prevention expenditure per person, 2023, EUR
Reform of hospitals
The Polish healthcare system is strongly dependent on expensive hospital treatment, which accounts for 52% of total healthcare expenditure, while in Western European countries this share is 46%. The high cost of hospital treatment poses a challenge to the efficiency of expenses.
Previous attempts to reform the hospital system in Poland have failed due to the lack of a coherent strategy, centralization of decisions and effective communication of changes. The current projects assume, among others, the consolidation of hospitals and the creation of a map of benefits, which aims to improve the efficiency and quality of health care.
In order to effectively carry out the reform of hospitals in Poland, it is necessary to develop a long-term strategy based on epidemiological and demographic analyses. Cooperation with industry experts and transparent communication of changes are crucial for the success of the reform.
Share of expenditure on hospital treatment in total expenditure on health services1), 2022, %
Poland
West Europe2)
1) The following are excluded from total expenditure on health care: medical products, medicines and medical materials, as well as management and administration of the healthcare system;
2) Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Netherlands
Source: Press releases, Eurostat, NHS National Cost Collection, Strategy&
2) Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Netherlands
Source: Press releases, Eurostat, NHS National Cost Collection, Strategy&
Learn about the current challenges and recommendations facing the Polish healthcare market
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