Government set to raise mandatory health-insurance contributions next year

The Cabinet is today to endorse a rise in universal-health-insurance contributions. A few days ago the Health Minister proposed an 8% raise in 2001, which would then gradually increase to 9%. The Finance Ministry has expressed reservations about the the proposal. Nonetheless, the Health Minister's argument that investment in hospital infrastructure and the remuneration of medical personnel is scandalously low convinced other minister to back the draft. Currently, Poland allocates 3.8% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to health, a figure that is twice as low as that of the Czech republic and three times lower than in the poorest European Union (EU) countries, Greece and Portugal. (Rzeczpospolita, page A1) S.M