Protesters, including medical rescuers, also called for a meeting with Prime Minister Donald Tusk to persuade him to change the pay system to ensure higher wages in healthcare.
Their main concern is the growing average age of nurses and the shortage of staff in Poland, as well as the fact that nurses are not paid according to their education, but rather according to the position offered.
Fair pay for Polish nurses: equal wages for equal qualifications
Nurses with a master's degree often receive lower salaries than they deserve, while hospitals pay doctors high wages but fail to adequately fund other medical personnel.
The protesters submitted a petition to the Prime Minister’s Office but were not allowed into the government building, which caused frustration and outrage.
The Polish Nurses and Midwives Trade Union organized a protest in front of the Prime Minister's Office, demanding the adoption of a citizens' bill that would base nurses' salaries on their qualifications rather than the positions offered (photo: PAP/Tomasz Gzell)
Cardboard nurse campaign: advocating for healthcare rights and adequate staffing in Poland
In recent weeks, thousands of postcards from a "cardboard nurse" named Ania have been sent to the Prime Minister’s Office asking how the government plans to guarantee constitutional healthcare rights without a sufficient number of nurses.
This initiative came as a result of difficulties in talks with politicians and was organized by a citizens' committee that drafted the bill to improve healthcare conditions.
"I want to be sure that, as a Polish citizen, I will have access to public healthcare and that my constitutional right to health protection will be upheld without disruption," was the message sent to Polish government, with greetings from a "cardboard nurse" named Ania, as part of a protest on a mock postcard.
Polish healthcare crisis: aging workforce and growing nurse shortage threaten system
According to data from the Institute of Public Health at Jagiellonian University, 72% of Polish hospitals are experiencing a shortage of nurses, and the average age of a nurse in Poland is over 54 years old.
Around 30% of nurses are over 60, and by 2030, it is expected that 65% of nurses and 60% of midwives will be of retirement age, with a projected shortage of over 26,000 nurses in the coming years.
Despite these alarming statistics, the Polish Nurses and Midwives Union believes that politicians are not taking decisive action, putting both patient safety and the healthcare system at risk.
In recent weeks, several thousand postcards have been sent to the office of PM Donald Tusk, featuring greetings from a cardboard nurse named Ania and asking how the Polish government plans to guarantee citizens' constitutional right to healthcare without nurses.
"Today, the lack of staff threatens the collapse of the entire healthcare system, and this is an issue that goes beyond the competence of the Minister of Health and requires a broader approach to finding a solution," stated Krystyna Ptok, chairwoman of the citizens' committee that drafted and submitted the bill to the Polish Parliament, in a statement sent to Radio Poland.
Source: Radio Poland/IAR/OZZPiP
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