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FEDERATION EUROPEENNE DES MEDECINS SALARIES
EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF SALARIED DOCTORS

 

Our organisation would like to become an observer of F.E.M.S. We hope that this way doctors’ activity will be stronger both in Europe and in Poland, especially in achieving such goals as improving doctors’ working and salary conditions, and patients’ safety.

So, according to the Resolution of Zarząd Krajowy OZZL (D.T.U.P. National Board),

made 22^nd April 2005, treat this document, please, as our official application to enrol Ogólnopolski Związek Zawodowy Lekarzy – OZZL (Doctors’ Trade Union of Poland – D.T.U.P) into F.E.M.S. as an observer.

First of all, we’d like to present our organisation. OZZL was founded 1^st June 1991. It is first strictly doctors’ trade union in Poland since World War Two. Joining our organisation is non-obligatory. Most of our members there are salaried doctors under the administrative authority, mainly of a public employer, working full-time and part-time. We are open to doctors of various specialities and of different training period.

We have our representatives almost in all of 800 hospitals in Poland. After first five-year’s period of our activity, we grew up even to 25,000 members from among 120,000 doctors and dentists working in our country. Now we lost many members, because of changes in our healthcare system, which enabled to came a numerous of private doctors’ and dentists’ surgeries (offices) and businesses into existence. Those firms are not working under rules of labour law currently. So, generally, we have around 14,000 members at present.

In our program we back up introducing free market into a healthcare system everywhere, where it is possible. We demand to establish rational, free-market and competing healthcare system in Poland. This is our basic task. In parallel, as a trade (labour) union, we keep guard against breaking labour law by employers in hospitals and other health care plants, where doctors (our members) are engaged. If necessary, we support legal help for our members.

On a nation-wide scale, our organisation participates in conferences and meetings with representatives of Poland’s Government, Parliament and other institutions and organisations, giving them our union’s opinion about health care system, doctors’ situation, labour law problems, and demanding to improve the most important matters. We cooperate with Polish Chamber of Physicians and Dentists and with many other trade unions and organisations existing in health care sphere in our country.

But not only that. In special cases, we send our open letters or protests to Members of Parliament and to other official institutions, with thousands signatures. We organize various nation-wide protest campaigns, sometimes involving tens thousands of physicians. Moreover, in 1996 we’ve arranged the very first in Poland doctors’ demonstration in Warsaw, and then, in cooperation with Polish Chamber of Physicians and Dentists, we’ve repeated it twice. 10,000 physicians participated during each of those two demonstrations. Also we take part in demonstrations organized by other unions.

We address our protests against dreadful healthcare system in Poland, against its improper way of reform, against a lack of money in this system, against drastically low doctors’ earnings leading them into a low and poor standard of living (our basic salary is on average up to € 400 or so, a month, net, apart from the additional pay for on-call duties), against wrong working conditions forcing physicians to continuous play with danger and to overwork, and against permanent worsening of patient situation. Patients have very difficult access to medical services now and they are forced to wait in long lines.

Also we take part in many nation-wide discussions tending towards construction better health care system in Poland, which is very poor and primitive now. We have our own big and comprehensive project of reform, leading to establish rational system, working on a competition and a free-market basis. We try to propagate it everywhere where it’s possible. Deep reform of health care system in Poland is necessary, because its effectiveness is completely ruined now.

Regarding to the ED 2003-88/EC, we realise, that extending of working time above the 48 hours weekly norm leads to the reduction in the level of protection of both patients and doctors, and jeopardizes the quality of healthcare, reduces patients’ safety, increases the risk of accidents at work and involves individual liability (as you say in your Motion). You’re right. And it seems to us, that the last decision of European Parliament, which was made 11^th May 2005, accurately meets European doctors’ expectations. OZZL supports this resolution as well.

But from the other hand, it is vitally important to cause considerably rise of doctors’ wages in Poland and in other EU newcomers. If not, doctors from those countries will be against the 48 hours weekly norm, because the only way for them to earn more money will be still taking as much on-call duties, as possible. The alternative for them is to emigrate to old EU countries, but in turn, this solution is not favourable to doctors working there already, because of danger of taking over their positions.

So, maybe it’s possible to workout a solution of this situation and of many others. But it needs contacts with European doctors’ organisations, some suggestions, and further discussion. Anyway, we are interested in cooperation with FEMS, and we will see, what the future will show.

 

With many regards

Dr Krzysztof Bukiel, President of OZZL, Poland
Dr Ryszard Kijak, Vice-Prsident of OZZL, Poland