Free Healthcare for Ukrainians in Poland: New Rules and Restrictions from March 2026

On 5 March 2026, new rules governing access to Poland's state healthcare system for Ukrainian nationals came into force. The previously broad provisions introduced at the beginning of the full-scale war ceased to apply. The National Health Fund (NFZ — Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia) announced that entitlement to free medical assistance has now been significantly restricted. Who Is Entitled to Free Medical Treatment Under the updated regulations, access to primary healthcare and partial reimbursement of medication costs have been retained exclusively for four categories of Ukrainian nationals holding UKR status:

• children and adolescents under the age of 18;
• pregnant women and mothers in the post-partum period;
• persons who have been victims of violence (including torture or rape);
• Ukrainians residing in collective accommodation centres.

Which Medical Services Are No Longer Covered Even for the above-listed eligible categories, free access is not comprehensive. The new regulations do not provide for free access to:

• sanatorium and spa treatment;
• state preventive health programmes;
• infertility treatment;
• complex surgical procedures (e.g. endoprosthetic surgery);
• specialist state medical programmes.

Emergency Care and Full Access to Healthcare It is important to note that in cases of direct threat to life or health, all persons holding temporary protection status (UKR) are entitled to emergency medical assistance — regardless of whether they belong to any of the eligible categories. In order to have full and unrestricted access to the Polish state healthcare system (NFZ), a foreign national must hold valid health insurance. This can be obtained through:

• official employment (the employer pays contributions to ZUS — the Social Insurance Institution);
• conducting one's own business activity;
• concluding a voluntary health insurance agreement and making self-paid contributions.

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