Vaccinations in Pharmacies and Hospital Reform Signed: Major Changes in the Healthcare System

Vaccinations in Pharmacies and Hospital Reform Signed by the President: Two Key Changes in the Healthcare System You Should Know About

Vaccinations in Pharmacies

Adults can purchase a vaccine at a pharmacy and receive it free of charge on-site from a pharmacist. Exceptions include the COVID-19 vaccine, which is free of charge, and selected reimbursed vaccines for people aged 65+ and pregnant women.

Vaccinations available in pharmacies include: COVID-19, influenza, tick-borne encephalitis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, HPV, pneumococcal disease, shingles, measles, mumps, rubella, poliomyelitis, hepatitis A and B, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections.

The introduction of pharmacy-based vaccinations aims to improve access and increase vaccination rates among adult Poles. You can find a list of participating pharmacies here:

Hospital Reform Signed

The hospital reform is considered a milestone in the National Recovery Plan (KPO). Hospitals are to be adapted to the local needs of residents, including demographic changes such as declining birth rates and an aging population. Medical staff, equipment, and infrastructure are to be used more efficiently.

Thanks to the new law:

Hospital departments will be easier to restructure
Recovery plans can be implemented for indebted facilities
Facilities will be allowed to share departments—for example, one maternity or surgical ward serving several hospitals in a county
Referrals will no longer be required for sports medicine doctors, optometrists, and psychologists. Optometrists will be able to issue referrals to ophthalmologists
Counties will be able to establish health centers with basic diagnostics and observation beds

The law, signed by President Karol Nawrocki, will come into effect 14 days after its publication in the Journal of Laws.

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