New players to enter Polish health care market?

Following several years of talks with local authorities in Koszalin in the north of Poland, the demolishion of an unfinished hospital in the town (which costs zl.300,000 a year) will precede the construction of a new, private hospital costing an estimated EUR100 million. Negotiations have recently restarted with talks scheduled for this August and September. The local authorities of Koszalin do not want to rely purely on Rhoen Klinikum, however, and have not only commissioned a feasibility report for zl.20,000, but are planning to invite possible investors from the whole Europe. Andrzej Sokolowski, the president of the Polish Society of Non-public Hospitals says that foreign health care services providers will still find it hard to break into the Polish market due to resistance from the National Healthcare Fund. (Puls Biznesu, p.6) J.L.