As of March 5, 2026, regulations in Poland have undergone a radical change – thousands of unemployed refugees from Ukraine have lost their automatic right to free healthcare. Unions and aid organizations are sounding the alarm, demanding the return of these discontinued measures, especially for the elderly. What is the National Health Fund’s response to this difficult issue?
Changes in the law that cut off refugees from treatment
At the beginning of March, an amended law came into force, definitively depriving adult, unemployed, and uninsured Ukrainian citizens (with UKR status) of access to free public healthcare under the existing rules. Privileges that had been in effect since the outbreak of the war in 2022 have been abolished. inpoland.net.pl portal, the new legal reality means that refugees are now subject to the same rigors and obligations as uninsured Polish citizens. The exceptions that retain their former rights include children, pregnant women, and victims of torture and warfare.
An appeal for help for the most vulnerable
Following the change in law, the situation has become dire, especially for the elderly, the sick, and the chronically ill who are unable to work. The Association of Ukrainians in Poland and prominent public figures have issued an official appeal to the Polish authorities to restore medical assistance for the most vulnerable.
Activists emphasize that the new regulations have literally cut off many of the poorest seniors from essential cancer treatment. Wirtualna Polska reports in its recent materialA perfect and sad example of this is the situation of a 73-year-old refugee from Dnipro. Her meager Ukrainian pension (amounting to several hundred zlotys) is in no way sufficient to finance private life-saving therapies, the monthly costs of which can reach up to several thousand zlotys.
The decisive position of the National Health Fund and the Ministry of Health
Despite loud objections and emotional appeals, the National Health Fund (NFZ) denies the allegations and makes its case clearly. The institution explains that it must operate within the strict limits of applicable Polish law, which, in turn, no longer provides free treatment for uninsured adults – regardless of their nationality.
To access public healthcare, refugees must now have legal entitlement to insurance. This can be obtained, for example, through legal employment, a contract of mandate, or voluntary, independent payment of monthly health insurance contributions to the Social Insurance Institution.
What solutions does the system offer?
For those who have lost access to free specialist appointments and hospital stays overnight, officials are proposing several systemic solutions. The simplest is registering as unemployed at the local employment office. This status guarantees state-funded health insurance.
Unfortunately, older people who have reached the Polish retirement age (60 for women, 65 for men) can no longer legally obtain unemployment status. In their case, the National Health Fund (NFZ) suggests that refugees officially transfer their pensions from Ukraine to Poland. Although this is a legal solution, activists are wringing their hands – the bureaucratic procedure involved in transferring benefits between countries takes a very long time, ranging from several months to even a year, and in the case of cancer, every week of delay can be life-threatening. However, the Ministry of Health has ended the discussion and currently has no plans to withdraw the restrictive changes introduced in early March.
Sources: InPoland.net.pl / Wirtualna Polska (WP.pl)
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