The Presidium of the Supreme Medical Council supported the position of the General Board of the Professional Association of Anesthesiologists regarding the draft regulation of the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy on the list of shortage professions. In the opinion of the medical self-government, there is no basis for qualifying specialization in anesthesiology and intensive care as a profession with staff shortages.
Medical self-government: no basis for recognizing anesthesiology as a shortage profession
Published Feb. 24, 2026 07:24
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The Presidium of the Supreme Medical Council supported the position of the General Board of the Professional Union of Anesthesiologists regarding the draft regulation of the Minister of Family, Labor and Social Policy of January 15, 2026 on the list of groups of professions with staffing shortages.
The local government points out that medical professions require special qualifications. For doctors from outside the European Union, diploma nostrification is necessary, and obtaining a specialization in anesthesiology and intensive care in many countries takes less time than in Poland - about 2 years versus 6 years. Consequently, specializations obtained outside the EU cannot be recognized. The importance of language proficiency of at least B2 to ensure patient safety and efficient cooperation in therapeutic teams was also emphasized.
In the opinion of the Presidium of the NRL, the inclusion of anesthesiology and intensive care in the group of professions subject to priority processing of work permit and visa applications is unjustified due to the actual lack of people who meet the indicated criteria, which would mean that the regulation would be a dead provision. It was also noted that such regulations should not be created without prior consultation with the medical self-government.
The Ministry of Health's document "Health Needs Map for the period from January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2031" shows that the replacement rate in the field of anesthesiology and intensive care is positive at 397 in 2029, indicating a projected improvement in the staffing situation in this specialty.
It was also pointed out that due to the ongoing reform of the inversion of the pyramid of benefits, the number of surgical wards in Poland is decreasing, which affects the number of jobs for anesthesiologists. These circumstances, according to the medical self-government, should be taken into account when assessing long-term staffing needs.
The medical association stresses that simplified pathways for hiring non-EU doctors should not apply to any medical specialty due to the special nature of the medical profession and the need to ensure the highest standards of health safety.
Source: NIL
