NFZ financial crisis: Patient organizations appeal to prime minister to take urgent action

Information about the financial crisis in health care had been appearing in the public space for months. At a meeting of the Parliamentary Health Committee at the end of September, Filip Nowak, president of the National Health Fund, announced that without an additional subsidy, it would not be possible to fund all non-limited services for the second quarter of 2025, while at the beginning of October this year. Health Minister Jolanta Sobierańska-Grenda confirmed that the National Health Fund's projections indicate a deficit of about PLN 14 billion in 2025 and PLN 23 billion in 2026. Following this information, patient organizations called for urgent decisions on financing the deficit in the short term in 2025 and 2026, and the preparation of a long-term health care financing strategy.

- The current financial situation of the National Health Fund is already translating into restrictions on services and the risk of worsening access to treatment. (...) The scale of the financial shortfall is in the billions of dollars, which, without an urgent response, will hit patients: those with chronic diseases, those waiting for elective treatments, those requiring rapid diagnosis and therapy, children, seniors and people with disabilities," the presidium of the Council of Patient Organizations at the Patient Ombudsman stressed in a letter.

During the first reading of the 2026 budget bill, Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski announced that outlays for health care will amount to PLN 248 billion. Despite the increase of PLN 26 billion compared to the previous year, the Health Minister admitted that this amount will not cover all the needs of the system - This year we have such a big gap between what comes in from the health contribution and what the National Health Fund has at its disposal. Next year it will be an even larger amount. It should be noted that the Finance Minister has guaranteed 26 billion more for next year in the draft budget, and this is still not enough - 23 billion zlotys are missing," Minister Sobierańska-Grenda said last week. She also stressed that patients are the priority, which is why talks are underway with the Finance Minister and the Prime Minister.

NFZ Vice President Jakub Szulc pointed out that with the current level of revenues and costs, balancing the Fund's budget is impossible. - The increase law is the main factor destabilizing health care finances.We have reached a critical point. The annual cost of operation of this legislation in 2025 is PLN 58 billion, and the Fund's budget as a whole is PLN 207 billion. - he pointed out.

The appeal by the Council of Patient Organizations is the fourth address to the prime minister in just 10 days. Previously, similar appeals were made by the medical community, the Supreme Medical Council and the National Federation of Oncology. To date, there has been no official response from the Prime Minister's Office to any of the above letters. No concrete plans for closing the budget gap or long-term solutions for the health care system have been presented either.

Source: press mat.