The Private Healthcare Market in Poland—What Can We Expect?

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The Private Healthcare Market in Poland—What Can We Expect?

The value of the private healthcare market in Poland, including spending on pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceuticals, totaled over 58 billion PLN in 2019. This represented a year-over-year increase of approximately 10%, according to the latest PMR report titled “The Private Healthcare Market in Poland 2020: Market Analysis and Growth Forecasts for 2020–2025.” According to PMR, 2020 will be a difficult year for this market segment due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the broader economic crisis.

The Private Healthcare Market Faces Challenges

The coronavirus pandemic may lead to changes in the structure of health care services provided in Poland’s private health care market. Although in the second half of 2020 the Polish healthcare system began providing medical services on a broader scale than during the lockdown (albeit still with certain restrictions), it will not be possible to catch up on the backlog caused by the coronavirus (postponed surgeries, procedures, and doctor’s visits) by the end of 2020, due to capacity constraints.

One aspect that has gained significance as a result of changing external conditions related to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic is the growth of telemedicine, which often effectively reduces the need for in-person doctor visits. This new trend may limit price increases and thus have a somewhat negative impact on the nominal growth of the private healthcare market. On the other hand, it is worth noting that the growth of telemedicine has significantly helped to reduce patient attrition.

The Future of Telemedicine and the Private Healthcare Market in Poland

The private healthcare market has grown significantly in recent years. As the public’s purchasing power has increased, patients have increasingly opted to pay for medical care out of pocket. In the face of the economic crisis and limited access to medical care, telemedicine is gaining ground, as confirmed by a survey conducted by PMR. When asked about their plans regarding the use of medical teleconsultations and telemedicine solutions, respondents more often indicated that they would increase their use of such services rather than decrease it.

Following suit are private healthcare providers, who have recently been expanding telemedicine services at their facilities. Interestingly, the groups most positive about a potential increase in the use of telemedicine services in 2020 are people aged 45 and older (especially the oldest among them) and those with higher household incomes.

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