This is how much doctors earn in Poland. Up to PLN 35,000 per month!
Polish doctors’ earnings are breaking records, but are they enough to keep them in the country? Check how much the best specialists really earn.
In Poland, in order to retain doctors in medical facilities, it is necessary to offer them attractive salaries. Educated specialists have the opportunity to go abroad, where salaries can be much higher, which puts Polish hospitals and clinics in direct competition with foreign facilities.
Minimum wage for doctors
In Poland, there is a statutory minimum wage for doctors, which is usually significantly exceeded by employers. From July 2024, the minimum wage for doctors is:
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PLN 10.4 thousand gross for doctors with specialization,
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PLN 8.5 thousand for doctors without specialization,
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PLN 6.8 thousand for interns.
In practice, however, doctors can count on higher rates, as confirmed by job offers in the private sector. For example, specialist doctors in private clinics can earn from PLN 150 to PLN 400 per hour, which in a full-time job is up to PLN 35,000 per month.
Job offers and real earnings
According to the report “The Labor Market of Physicians and Specialists in the Medical Industry in the Second Quarter of 2024,” monthly rates can reach up to PLN 64,000. The most sought-after specialists are psychiatrists and dermatologists, which indicates a high demand for their services.
Hospital Finances
An analysis of the finances of the three largest hospitals in Poland shows that salaries constitute about half of all costs of these facilities. At the University Clinical Center in Gdańsk, the average salary was PLN 12,600 gross per month, while the costs related to contracts for doctors amounted to PLN 513 million last year.
Demand for doctors
The number of doctors in Poland was around 197,000 at the end of 2023, which is 3.6 doctors per 100,000 inhabitants, slightly below the European average. The ageing of the population increases the demand for medical services, while the number of doctors remains insufficient.
Rising salaries and the bureaucratization of the profession are the main challenges facing the Polish healthcare service if it wants to effectively compete for specialists and improve the quality of patient care.
