The government is taking steps to revolutionize Poland's health care system. It has proposed a tax deduction on private health care premiums and the possibility of financing private health insurance from company social funds, daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna reports.

The legislative proposal is due to be submitted by the Ministry of Health for consultation on Monday. If enacted, a private policy holder would have the possibility of being treated in a public hospital more quickly than patients without private insurance. Critics leaped on this particular point, stating that such a system will create a divide between the more and the less privileged.

The government responded in turn, saying those with private policies will in fact help to improve the system – assuming that treatment for the privately insured would be carried out at different hours than for “regular” NFZ patients, medical facilities will be more fully utilized.

In addition, hospitals would have more funds at their disposal. The government estimates that as many as 10 percent of patients in Poland could take out private health insurance, which would bring the public health care sector an additional zł.4.5 billion annually.

Poland AM