Nearly PLN 900 million extra for patient nutrition

The standard was introduced by decree of the Minister of Health as a systemic solution, which on January 1, 2026 replaced the pilot program "A good meal in the hospital," which began in 2023 and was extended several times. It allowed, journalists heard, to draw conclusions: one of them is the conundrum that a separate funding stream does not at all guarantee that the money will be spent for the purpose for which it is intended: 93 percent of the hospitals that took part in the pilot did not increase the nutrition rate by PLN 25 per patient at all. This is now set to change and the patient will be assured that he or she will be adequately well fed in the hospital.

- The introduced standard enhances the existing financial capabilities of the entities and, with uniform and sustainable solutions, allows them to take even better care of patients. This is a tool for hospital managers across the country, which will enable them to meet new, increased quality standards. This change will be felt by all patients, regardless of where they are treated," said Deputy Health Minister Tomasz Maciejewski.

- The distribution of actual costs was one of the key arguments in determining the amount of additional funding under the nutrition standard, which, unlike the pilot, was developed on the basis of actual data, rather than purely estimated assumptions, said AOTMiT President Daniel Rutkowski, who also reported that the spread of nutrition rates in hospitals was (in 2023) huge - from 17 to 80 zlotys. According to the Agency's estimates, together with the allowance, which is the same for all, the average nutrition rate will be around PLN 64.

The new nutrition standard obliges hospitals to meet increased quality requirements, including adequate nutritional value of meals, their variety better adapted to the health needs of patients.

The NFZ's analysis shows that the total cost of implementing the nutrition standard in medical entities will be about PLN 895.8 million per year. The cost of the "Good Meal in Hospital" pilot program in 2024 was PLN 888.5 million (NFZ data as of July 4, 2025).

The new nutrition standard has been included in the valuation of hospital services (AOTMiT has revalued some nine hundred procedures related to patient hospitalization). As emphasized at Friday's meeting, patient nutrition is an integral part of the health service provided and is an element of the cost of hospitalization, in addition to infrastructure maintenance or labor costs, among others. - The experience of the pilot showed that transferring funds through a separate stream dedicated exclusively to improving the quality of nutrition does not guarantee the delivery of services of the required quality. Therefore, the new standard has been included in the system pricing of hospitalization, ensuring organizational and financial consistency of services," said NFZ President Filip Nowak.