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Polish doctors go on hunger strike

Doctors in Poland have gone on a hunger strike demanding better pay and working conditions and increased expenditure on public health care. (Photograph: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock)
Dental Tribune International

Dental Tribune International

Fri. 20. October 2017

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WARSAW, Poland: Ever since Poland joined the EU in 2004, many of the country’s doctors have gone in search of better-paid work aboard. Now, in what has been labelled worrying by the Council of European Dentists, a group of around 20 young medical doctors at a children’s hospital in the Polish capital of Warsaw have gone on a hunger strike, demanding better pay and increased public health care funding.

According to the New York Times, in a recent rally, hundreds of doctors gathered in front of the prime minister’s office in a show of support for those on the hunger strike, demanding that the current pay and work situation be improved. Their protest is not just about better pay however, but also about finding a way to stop doctors from leaving the country, by establishing better working conditions, removing red tape and ensuring shorter waiting times for patients.

Currently, the average monthly salary after tax for a resident doctor in Poland is between PLN2,200 and PLN2,500 (€520–590). According to unconfirmed reports, doctors are asking for a monthly increase of around PLN6,700 (€1,580), which the Polish government has described as being absolutely impossible.

In a statement released by the Council of European Dentists, it said: “European dentists support the right of the European population to high quality health care that can only be delivered with proper funding. Although dentists are not formally involved in the strike, we express sympathy with our medical colleagues as they strive for conditions that will allow them to provide better treatment for their patients, and hope for a swift resolution of the current situation.”

As of now, the issue is yet to be resolved, with reported recent talks between Polish government officials and doctors not satisfying the doctors’ demands.

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