A total of 298 MPs voted in favour of the plan on Wednesday, while seven opposed and 146 abstained.
Health Minister Adam Niedzielski told lawmakers before the vote that the planned hike would make it possible “to continue the policy of building a stable financial base for the development of medical care in Poland.”
Under the bill approved by lawmakers, Poland expects to spend 5.75 percent of its GDP on healthcare next year, followed by 6 percent in 2023, 6.2 percent in 2024, 6.5 percent in 2025, 6.8 percent in 2026, and 7 percent in 2027.
After the vote, Niedzielski wrote on Twitter that the new regulations would “enable an injection of an extra PLN 85 billion (EUR 18.5 billion) into the national health system in the coming years.”
With the new legislation, public spending on healthcare is set to exceed PLN 215 billion (EUR 46.9 billion) in 2027, according to the government.
The plan is part of the government’s flagship Polish New Deal initiative, which aims to boost the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new legislation will now go to the upper house, the Senate, for further debate.
(mrs/gs)
Source: PAP