Transformation of Health Services in Poland Since 1989 Democratization

Abstract

After 1945 all countries of the communist Eastern Europe implemented a uniform model of health-care system and health policies called socialist Health Services that provided universal, free of charge health care to all citizens. The initial model underwent many reforms with the largest change taking place during the country's democratization and transition to a market economy system after 1989. The processes of the democratization of the political life and economic changes included privatization of the health-care and medical services. In addition to state hospitals, medical care was provided by private doctors and these services were fully paid for by patients. The private medical care was greatly available but was not controlled by the state until a few years later when the state developed networks of state-regulated services, including public and independent health-care centers. Among other changes of the recent decades was establishment of accreditation system in Polish medical institutions implemented in Poland after 1997. As of 2011 there are 98 accredited Polish hospitals. The prevailing mix-health-care system (private and public) is divided by differences in quality of services, with much higher quality medical services being offered by private clinics than by state-sponsored hospitals.

Citation

Sawa-Czajka, E. (2011), "Transformation of Health Services in Poland Since 1989 Democratization", Wejnert, B. (Ed.) Democracies: Challenges to Societal Health (Research in Political Sociology, Vol. 19), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 57-69. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0895-9935(2011)0000019008