Treatment abroad: Poland 

Poland, a burgeoning destination for medical tourism, offers top-notch healthcare services in fields such as cardiology, oncology, and orthopaedics, with state-of-the-art facilities and highly skilled medical professionals attracting patients from around the world.

As a medical tourism destination Poland offers high quality dental and cosmetic surgery services using the latest techniques within a well regulated health system. The dental surgeries and cosmetic surgery clinics offer a broad range of treatments at affordable prices.

Why consider Poland for medical tourism?

Medical tourism has been on the increase in Poland over the last few years, and the number of medical procedures, particularly in the area of cosmetic surgery and cosmetic dentistry has been rising dramatically. Medical tourists started to arrive in significant numbers from around 2003 and today, people from all over the world choose to have their private cosmetic surgery or dental treatment in Poland.

Poland joined the European Union in 2004 and its capital city is Warsaw, known as Warszawa. Other major cities include Krakow (or Cracow), Gdansk, Poznan, Lodz, Szczecin and Wroclaw. Clinics tend to be based in the major cities of Warsaw or Krakow. Warsaw is the business and the political centre of Poland and lies almost in the middle of the country while Krakow in the south west, is the former capital and recognised as a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage site.

English, German and Russian is spoken in most of the urban centres in Poland, and most tourist facilities have good linguistic abilities. A number of medical tourism companies offer packages which include dentist abroad treatment and a recovery stay in resort style accommodation with recuperative facilities.

Before or after their cosmetic or dentistry treatment visitors can enjoy a tour of Warsaw’s Old Town with its Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque buildings, and enjoy any of the atmospheric cafs in Old Market Square. Poland has a changeable climate, with plenty of snow in the winter months and a hot summer. Spring begins in March and the climate can be quite pleasant during the months of April, May and June, becoming very hot in July.

Reasons to choose Poland

Popular European destination for dental work

Growing medical tourism market with excellent facilities

Well served by European budget airlines

Low cost accommodation and transport

Short flight time from most of Europe

17th most visited destination in the world

The healthcare system in Poland

As in many former Eastern Bloc states, the healthcare system in Poland has undergone radical changes as it has adapted from a communism to an open-market capitalism.

Public healthcare in Poland is provided free at the point of need through a national health insurance scheme. Insurance schemes are administered by private companies, which hold contracts with regional offices of the National Health Fund (Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia or NDZ). Contributions are compulsory, with voluntary top ups, and are paid by both employers and employees.

As is often the case, healthcare is something of a political issue in Poland, with the government accused of deliberately keeping compulsory health insurance contributions low in order to encourage the growth of the private health insurance industry. The election of President Bronislaw Komorowski in 2010 was seen by many as a turning point as he has always pushed for large scale commercialisation of the Polish healthcare system.

In response to the poor quality of state provision, private healthcare has been growing rapidly in Poland, with a number of providers bypassing the state system altogether and building their own private hospitals and clinics in major cities such as Warsawand Gdansk. These hospitals provide treatment that is paid for directly by the patient and is unlikely to be covered by the Polish health insurance schemes.

Since 2009, several high profile, top quality clinics have been built, including the 150-bed St Raphael’s Hospital in Krakow and the 180-bed Medicover hospital in Warsaw. Many other brand new, state of the art clinics and hospitals are planned over the next few years, providing the very highest standards of equipment, service and treatment for medical tourists.

With government backing and strong investment from international private healthcare providers, Poland is rapidly becoming a leading destination for healthcare tourism in Europe, offering that ideal combination of high quality care and low, affordable prices.

Travel and accommodation in Poland

The two main airports in Poland are at Warsaw (known as Warszawa) and Krakow. The airport in Warsaw is called theFrederic Chopin International Airportand has all the modern facilities the visitor needs, including car rental, travel agencies, a post office, a bank and many restaurants and shops. At Krakow the airport is theJohn Paul II International Airport. Other international airports in Poland are at Poznan, Wroclaw, Szczecin, Katowice, Bydgoszcz, Lodz and Rzeszow. Ryanair, for example, is one of the airlines which fly to Gdansk and Poznan.

From the airport taxis can be taken from the taxi stand outside arrivals. Fares are generally more expensive between 10pm and 6am, but the taxis operate on meters so you don’t have to do any price negotiation.

There are three rail systems in Poland, the intercity, eurocity and express with first and second class tickets available. ThePolish State Railwayservices are good and long distance trains have buffet and sleeping cars. From Warsaw to Krakow for example takes about 2h 30 minutes on an express train. In Warsaw there is a metro system and in other major cities the public transport system consists of buses, trams and trolleybuses. A one day travel card allows travel on the city’s integrated transport network.

Car rental services can be found at airport arrivals with the usual firms such as Avis and Hertz and driving is on the right.

The currency in Poland is the Polish Zlotys, and €1 is roughly equivalent to 4.3 PLN. As for accommodation the average price of a double room in a three star hotel in Warsaw and Krakow is around €60 and a double room in a 4 star hotel in Warsaw and Krakow costs from €75 upwards.

About Poland: information for the medical tourist

The landscape of Poland has been shaped by history, with glacial valleys and moraine hills covering the northern region, creating no less than four lake districts, including the Masurian Lake District in the north east of the country, which is renowned for its majestic beauty.

In the east along the Belarus border, you’ll discover Biaowiea Forest, the last remnant of the vast ancient forest that once covered much of Europe. This primordial woodland is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and so tours must be arranged in advance, on foot or horseback, to protect the delicate ecosystem.

To the north, there are vast stretches of empty, sandy beaches along the Baltic coast, popular in the warm summer months, while to the south magnificent mountains rise into the centre of the continent, creating winter sports attractions.

Though a member of the EU, Poland has yet to enter the Eurozone, with the Zloty still the main currency. However, with the Euro expected in the future, many traders are already accepting the currency, especially in major tourist areas. Poland has a surprisingly robust economy, which has been improving steadily since its entry into the EU, and has weathered the ongoing recession reasonably well.

Despite, or perhaps because of, their turbulent history, the Poles are a very welcoming and generous people who enjoy life as it comes. This makes the major cities, such as Warsaw and Krakow highly popular for weekend breaks and stag parties. Away from the major cities, life moves at a much gentler pace, with medieval towns such as Wroclaw offering a window on the past, and the pace is slower still in rural areas, which have changed little in centuries.

As the world’s 17thmost visited tourist destination, Poland has much to offer, from active outdoor holidays to cultural and history themed trips, and with a warm welcome wherever you go, you’ll soon feel at home.