POLISH PRIVATE HEALTHCARE MARKET SEEN GROWING

Studies indicate that the uptake of private healthcare services in Poland continues to increase, as the public sector awaits thorough reform. The survey claims that 56% of Poles, mainly in higher income groups, use private healthcare. Some 10% reportedly avoid using the state sector entirely.

The survey also shows that families tend to make greater use of private doctors and services than two-member households. When visiting pharmacies, price was the key consideration -- but the research also shows that customer satisfaction and frequency of visits is lower among Poles than in Germany. This data could have important implications for the country's fast-growing OTC sector.

The results appear to confirm that Polish healthcare, including the provision of many modern drugs, is poor -- even compared to other countries in Eastern Europe. For example, some hi-tech pharmaceuticals available in such countries as Bulgaria or Latvia are not available in Poland. Although local market regulation may be partly to blame for this, in 2004 Poland's healthcare spending was just 5.4% of GDP, compared to 6% in the Czech Republic, 8% in the UK and 14% in the US.