Hospital debts continue to grow

The financial situation of district hospitals, despite increased health spending, is deteriorating. In 2022, their debt increased by a total of 12 percent, and in most of such entities, treatment is no longer profitable. The Union of Polish Counties presented an analysis based on data from 123 facilities. It shows that medical operations are making increasing losses. 

Although more money from the National Health Fund has flowed into hospital budgets, the rapid increase in costs is exacerbating debt. Operating costs have increased by 33 percent, drug expenses by 23 percent, disposable equipment by 22 percent, energy consumption by 48 percent. In particular, salary increases in July 2022, resulting from the Law on the Method of Determining the Lowest Basic Salary of Certain Employees of Medical Entities have hit county hospital budgets. It is worth noting that salaries will increase again in the second half of 2023. Hospital managers are concerned that new valuations of services will not cover the cost of the increases. The money to finance this year's increase in minimum wages is to come from the pool for the realization of benefits. Minister Niedzielski assures that he has already commissioned another valuation from AOTMiT. The decision will be known in May. 

The hospitals' liabilities increased from PLN 2,911 million in 2020 to PLN 3,365 million in 2022. At the end of last year, the total debt of the facilities only for unpaid Social Security contributions amounted to PLN 1 billion 5.5 million (in 2019 it amounted to PLN 459 million). The latest figures published by the Ministry of Health show that the liabilities of all medical facilities amount to PLN 18 billion. These are figures from the second quarter of 2022. Later data is not available.