![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2017\/10\/e98967ee251e49486e006f95145d.jpeg\" "\\"https:\/\/www.wprost.pl\/kraj\/10080472\/Lekarze-rezydenci-wznowili-glodowke-Rozmowy-z-premier-nie-przyniosly-oczekiwanych-skutkow.html\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe strikers say health care budget is insufficient, demanding an increase in health care expenditure to a minimum of 6.8 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) over the next three years.<\/strong><\/p>\n They also want a reduction in bureaucracy, an increase in the number of medical workers, an improvement in working conditions and a raise in salaries. Doctors also called for shorter waiting lists for patients, saying there are month-long waits for simple medical procedures.<\/p>\n The doctors had met with Premier Szyd\u0142o<\/strong> and Health Minister Konstanty Radziwi\u0142\u0142<\/strong>, about which they said, \u201cWe felt we had not been treated seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n The protesting physicians say they earn between PLN 2,200 and PLN 2,500 ($420) after tax reduction every month<\/strong>, working 80-100 hours per week. They also threatened that if their monthly salaries are not significantly increased, they would leave the country.<\/p>\n Last Thursday Poland announced plans to significantly increase spending on health care as a hunger strike by young doctors demanding more funding entered its third week.<\/p>\n Poland\u2019s health care system is chronically underfunded and there are often months-long waiting lists for medical procedures.\u00a0Minister Henryk Kowalczyk<\/strong>, in charge of economic affairs, said the conservative government would debate a plan next week to gradually increase spending in the health sector to 6 percent of gross domestic product by 2025, compared to 4.7 percent now.\u00a0Deputy Finance Minister Leszek Skiba<\/strong> said the gradual funding increase would provide an extra 116 billion zlotys ($32 billion) for health care by 2025, while preserving financial stability.<\/p>\n I’m really curious what is going to happen and if the protest will bring some major changes in the end!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you follow Polish news, you probably already heard about young Polish doctors starting a hunger protest at the beginning of the month.\u00a0A few dozen young doctors have been on a hunger strike at a children’s hospital in Warsaw and were joined by groups in Szczecin, in the northwest, and in the central city of…<\/p>\n