Minister to unveil bills to reform health service today

The current situation needs drastic solutions as doctors are negotiating wage increases with hospitals directors while nurses are planning to go on strike and they might be joined by the ambulance service. "A hospital is an integral unit and the director should remember this while negotiating wages with one professional group. He is the person responsible for the operations of the whole entity," said Health Minister Kopacz. One of the new ideas included in the draft bills is a new list of state guaranteed medical services, which will be shorter than the current one. Moreover the Health Minister plans to introduce a new, additional and voluntary health insurance, which would allow another zł.20 billion to be pumped into the health system. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A3; Dziennik, p. 8) A.K.