Under the new legislation, parents of babies born before the 28th week of pregnancy or those weighing less than 1,000 grams at birth will be entitled to up to 15 additional weeks of maternity leave.
Parents of babies born before the 36th week of pregnancy, or full-term infants requiring hospitalization, will receive up to eight additional weeks.
The extended leave aims to provide additional support to families facing the challenges of caring for premature or ill newborns.
Periods of the child's hospitalization up to the 8th or 15th week after birth will be combined when determining the length of the supplementary leave, with partial weeks rounded up to full weeks.
The regulation also accounts for breaks between successive hospitalizations.
The additional leave will be available to mothers or fathers, as well as legal guardians, foster parents, and adoptive parents.
During this period, the maternity benefit will increase to 100 percent of the benefit base, offering full financial support to affected families.
The amendment responds to a petition submitted in November 2023 to the Ministry of Family, Labor, and Social Policy by the "Coalition for the Preemie" Foundation.
Nearly 16,000 people signed the petition advocating for better support for families with premature infants.
According to Poland's statistics office GUS, over 270,000 children were born in the country in 2023, with nearly 20,000 born before the 37th week of pregnancy.
The new legislation, passed by Polish MPs on Wednesday, aims to address the needs of these families by providing additional time and resources during a critical period.
Earlier during the bill's second reading, the Sejm adopted amendments proposed by the Civic Coalition (KO), the main governing grouping.
Barbara Dolniak, a member of the Civic Coalition, said that the amendments were legislative in nature, aiming to tidy up and standardize the bill and correct a technical error.
The amendment received 428 votes in favor, with none against or abstaining, and now moves to the Senate, the upper house, for further consideration.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP