Sick leave

Poland's medical establishment induced a state of paralysis in the country last week when doctors across the nation launched an open-ended strike on Monday. The strike was organized by the National Labor Union of Physicians (OZZL), which was asking for monthly salary increases of up to zł.5,000 for general practitioners and zł.7,500 for specialists. Over 200 hospitals across Poland took part in the protest.

In addition, the striking doctors also wanted the State to increase expenditures on healthcare from four to five percent of the budget. The total cost of meeting the strikers' demands totals zł.11 billion. The general strike that began on Monday was not unheralded, as it had been preceded by two one-day warning strikes on May 10 and 15.

The government refused to meet the demands of the strikers, but declared a desire to negotiate. On Wednesday, the Minister of Health, Zbigniew Religa, suggested a 15-percent pay raise which would take effect in January. On the same day, the union suggested that the money for their raise might be drawn from the zł.1 billion held in surplus by the NFZ National Health Fund, which was supposed to be used to improve the general quality of health service in the country. Another proposal was to abolish the relief on healthcare fees for farmers and the unemployed. OZZL declared that if its demands were not met, it would advise doctors to give notice and seek work abroad.

Negotiations between the government and the doctors broke down before they had even started. The government wanted to bring other unions representing healthcare professionals to the table and OZZL refused, fearing its voice would be weakened. As WBJ went to press, there was no word on the resumption of talks.