Record payments to doctors in Poland.

This page collects the highest amounts paid to doctors from public money that hospitals, public offices and the media have disclosed. It is not a ranking of people. We do not give names. In cases handled by prosecutors or inspectors we do not mention the doctor’s position, and when an amount concerns one person in a criminal case, we do not name the hospital either — only its type and region. What interests us is what a single disclosed amount says about the system — and what it does not.

Each amount below is what one facility paid for one period. It is not a doctor’s total earnings, because nobody calculates such a total. Full pay lists from several dozen facilities, with the median and the distribution, are collected separately in Pay from disclosed hospital pay lists.

What one amount shows, and what it does not

An amount that reaches the media has three limits: one payer, one period and one form of contract. Before comparing it with a salary, each of them needs to be checked.

• One facility, not a total. A contract doctor can bill under contracts at several hospitals at the same time, and no register adds them up. A record from one hospital may therefore be only part of a person’s income — or the entire income of someone who works only there. The case of a Warsaw doctor who billed under contracts at several hospitals at once and was charged with fraud in early October 2026 (there is no verdict) is described in our text on holding multiple jobs.¹
• An invoice is not a month. A contract is sometimes settled with a collective invoice. The highest amount in the TVN24 survey, PLN 307 thousand (≈ €69,700) from May 2026, covered four months of work according to the hospital director.²³
• A period in the system is not a period of work. The regional hospital in Zgierz gave a city councillor a list of 333 doctors for 2025. Dziennik Łódzki read from it, among other things, PLN 442 thousand for a contract for one month and 1,707 hours of work in a month.⁴⁵ A few days later the hospital corrected the column with the employment period: the HR and payroll system had entered the date of the last change in the data rather than the actual contract period, and the number of hours covers the whole contract in 2025.⁶ It is therefore not known how many months the PLN 442 thousand covers, which is why we do not place this amount in the order of monthly records.
• A threshold is not an amount. The media often write “over 2 million” or “almost PLN 3 million”. We leave such thresholds unchanged in the tables instead of turning them into exact figures.
• Rate, revenue, income. An invoice under a B2B contract is revenue of the doctor’s business, from which the doctor pays tax, contributions and costs. An asset declaration shows income, and an employment payroll shows gross pay. These figures cannot be compared directly.

Highest amounts per month

Most of the monthly records are known because a hospital or its owner answered a question. The compilation for the regional hospitals of Mazowsze was prepared by the marshal’s office, i.e. the regional government administration (urząd marszałkowski), and described by Rynek Zdrowia.⁷ In summer 2026 the offices of further regions (voivodeships) gave similar data in answer to questions from money.pl: Dolny Śląsk — PLN 275,222.45 (≈ €62,500) net for a month under one contract, Lubuskie — PLN 198,042.50 (≈ €45,000) gross, Podkarpacie and Warmia-Mazury — about PLN 137–139 thousand gross.⁸⁹¹⁰¹¹ Rates from hospitals in the Łódź region, including Bełchatów, were given by the facilities themselves — according to a lawyer from Sieć Obywatelska Watchdog Polska (Citizens Network Watchdog Poland, a transparency organisation), facilities that stay silent do so rather out of reluctance to disclose specific rates.¹² The Lublin rate was collected by journalists asking hospitals about pay,¹³ and the figures from Włocławek were given by the hospital to a local newsroom.¹⁴ In Ostróda the county hospital handed its list to a councillor only after rulings by administrative courts in a dispute over access to information.¹⁵ The invoice from Piła was revealed by a TVN24 survey: the broadcaster asked more than 500 hospitals and about 210 provided data, so “highest” means highest among the responses.¹⁶³

Disclosed amounts from a single contract for one month range from about PLN 100 thousand to over PLN 316 thousand

The highest disclosed monthly payments to doctors: facility, what the amount is, amount with period, case status with date, and sources.

Where	What the amount is	Amount	Case status	Sources
Regional hospitals of Mazowsze	Highest contract in the regional government’s compilation	PLN 316,079(≈ €71,700) per month, 2025The contract has been terminated. For contracts the source gives a single amount, without a gross/net split.	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	Rynek Zdrowia
Hospitals run by the Dolnośląskie regional government	Highest contract in the regional government’s compilation	PLN 275,222.45(≈ €62,500) net, per month, 2025The office gave all amounts net, so we do not compare them directly with gross amounts from other regions. The hospital was not named.	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	money.pl
Uniwersytecki Szpital Kliniczny nr 4 w Lublinie (a university hospital)	Highest rate in the hospital’s list of monthly contract rates (neurosurgeon)	PLN 216,185(≈ €49,100) per monthThe source does not say which month the rate refers to or whether it is gross.	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	Dziennik Wschodni
Hospitals run by the Lubuskie regional government	Highest contract in the regional government’s compilation	PLN 198,042.50(≈ €45,000) gross, per month, 2025Includes on-call duty and recurring allowances. The hospital was not named.	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	money.pl
Regional hospital in Bełchatów	Urologist under contract: an hourly rate plus a percentage of procedures	PLN 151,097(≈ €34,300) per month	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	Dziennik.pl
A hospital in the Łódzkie region	Orthopaedic surgeon under contract — in a compilation of rates from Łódź-region hospitals	PLN 142,032(≈ €32,200) per monthThe source does not say which hospital.	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	Dziennik.pl
Regional hospital in Włocławek	Highest monthly payment to a doctor (hospital data)	PLN 139,957(≈ €31,800) gross, May 2026	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	DDWłocławek
Regional hospital in Tarnobrzeg	Highest contract in the Podkarpackie regional government’s compilation	PLN 138,967.51(≈ €31,500) gross, per month, 2025“Over PLN 1.66 million a year” in the source’s headline is this amount times 12, not an annual payment.	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	money.pl
Hospitals run by the Warmińsko-Mazurskie regional government	Highest contract in the regional government’s compilation	PLN 136,520.32(≈ €31,000) gross, per month, 2025Amount from the office’s table; the article text gives “over PLN 132.5 thousand” and does not explain the difference. The hospital was not named.	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	money.pl
County hospital in Ostróda (a company owned by the county)	Highest monthly pay of a doctor in the compilation for a county councillor	PLN 100,865.22(≈ €22,900) February 2026, for 117 hoursCivil-law contract. Another payment (PLN 91,462.26 for 56 hours in April) was converted by the media into about PLN 1,600 an hour; the hospital disputes this calculation because it counts only hours on the ward and in primary care (POZ).	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	InteriaPolsat News
Specialist hospital in Piła	Highest payment to a contract doctor in the TVN24 survey	PLN 307 thousand(≈ €69,700) one collective invoice, May 2026This is not payment for one month. According to the hospital director, the invoice covers services from four months, because the doctor is paid for procedures only after the money arrives from the NFZ.	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	money.plasta24
Regional hospital in Zgierz	Highest contract “for one month” in the compilation for a city councillor	PLN 442 thousand(≈ €100,000) contract described as monthly, 2025The period cannot be confirmed. The hospital corrected the employment-period column: in some rows the HR and payroll system entered the date of the last change in the data rather than the actual contract period.	hospital corrected the periods in the compilation; no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 25 September 2026	Dziennik ŁódzkiDziennik Łódzki — correctionOnet

For scale: the median single contract of a hospital specialist was PLN 25,595 (≈ €5,810) a month in February 2026.¹⁷ The Mazowsze record is more than 12 times that median. Both figures concern one contract in one hospital for one month, so the comparison is fair — except that the median describes a typical contract and the record a single, extreme one. We show the full distribution in Doctor pay distribution.

Rates per day and per hour

The highest rates concern a case revealed by Wirtualna Polska in July 2026: a neurosurgeons’ company may have billed two hospitals over PLN 300 thousand (≈ €68,100) for a day of operations, i.e. as much as PLN 26 thousand (≈ €5,900) an hour.¹⁸ One strand of the investigation concerns the suspicion that simple, cheap procedures were performed while much more expensive ones were reported. The National Health Fund (NFZ) fined one of the hospitals over PLN 2.6 million (≈ €590,000); the hospital has appealed.¹⁹

The investigation at the first hospital has been supervised by a regional prosecutor’s office since the end of 2024, and at the second a separate proceeding is conducted by the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) under the supervision of another regional prosecutor’s office. As of 8 July 2026 nobody had been charged.¹⁹ We found no newer information about charges.

The highest amount per hour arose differently. A private hospital in Warsaw that treats patients under a contract with the NFZ gave, at the request of Sieć Obywatelska Watchdog Polska, doctors’ payments and their hours, without names. An orthopaedic surgeon received about PLN 337 thousand (≈ €76,500) for 43 hours, i.e. PLN 7,848 (≈ €1,780) an hour.²⁰²¹ This is a calculated figure, not an agreed rate: the hospital did not give the settlement period, and according to experts such an amount more likely results from a percentage of the value of procedures.

Per day and per hour: bills according to media findings and a payment divided by hours

The highest disclosed amounts per day and per hour: facility, what the amount is, amount with period, case status with date, and sources.

Where	What the amount is	Amount	Case status	Sources
Two hospitals in smaller towns (Kujawsko-Pomorskie and Pomorskie regions)	Bills from a neurosurgeons’ company for a day of operations	over PLN 300 thousand(≈ €68,100) per day; as much as PLN 26 thousand an hourAmounts according to the findings of Wirtualna Polska: the company may have issued such bills. The NFZ fined one of the hospitals over PLN 2.6 million; the hospital has appealed.	two investigations, no chargesas of 8 July 2026Supervised by the regional prosecutor’s offices in Bydgoszcz and Słupsk; the second is conducted by the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA). In the first, the neurosurgeons have not yet been questioned.	Rzeczpospolita (PAP)Bankier.pl (PAP)
Private hospital in Warsaw with an NFZ contract	Orthopaedic surgeon — payment divided by the hours worked	PLN 7,848(≈ €1,780) per hour; about PLN 337 thousand for 43 hoursThe hospital gave the amounts and the number of hours without the settlement period. This is a calculated figure, not an agreed rate: according to experts, the payment more likely results from a percentage of the value of procedures. The money comes from the contract with the NFZ.	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	Bankier.plRMF24

Highest amounts per year

Annual records come from two kinds of sources: compilations provided by hospitals or councillors, and inspections and audits.

One of the highest documented amounts for one person for 2025 was revealed in Koszalin by a councillor, citing Sieć Obywatelska Watchdog Polska: PLN 2,599,725 (≈ €590,000), an average of over PLN 216 thousand a month. In the same hospital 17 doctors exceeded one million zloty, and total payments to 320 employees exceeded PLN 119 million (≈ €27 million).²² In the regional hospital in Konin the highest annual pay of a doctor, counting all components, exceeded PLN 2 million (≈ €454,000) gross, and 72 people earned between PLN 500 thousand and 1 million; the local portal did not say where it obtained the compilation.²³

In the regional hospital in Zamość a radiologist on a civil-law contract earned PLN 2,741,513.36 (≈ €622,000) in 2025; the hospital director confirmed the amount.²⁴ The hospital’s reply to an MP’s parliamentary question gives a slightly different total, PLN 2,693,719.58, and breaks it down into components: over PLN 1.77 million for reporting on imaging studies, and the rest for, among other things, readiness to perform procedures and hours outside regular working hours.²⁵ In the municipal hospital in Sosnowiec an ENT specialist under contract received PLN 1.835 million (≈ €417,000) in 2025,²⁶ and in the county hospital in Wadowice an anaesthetist — PLN 1,346,906.59 (≈ €306,000).²⁷

In Białystok one doctor billed almost PLN 3 million (≈ €681,000) in 2024 — a threshold from the audit findings, not an exact amount.²⁸ In a county hospital in Warmia and Mazury one doctor’s invoices totalled PLN 1,772,879.50 (≈ €402,000).²⁹ We describe both cases below.

In Kalisz the four highest-paid contract doctors received about PLN 10 million (≈ €2.27 million) a year in total; the amount was confirmed by the director of the hospital, which has over PLN 40 million of debt.³⁰ This is the total for four people, not the amount for one. After an inspection the marshal’s office notified prosecutors.³¹ The investigation by the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Ostrów Wielkopolski concerns the period of the previous management, including drug purchases, supervision of the hospital pharmacy and the high pay of several doctors. It has been extended to 14 December 2026, and as of 6 August nobody had been charged.³²

Annual records for one person range from about PLN 1.3 million to almost PLN 3 million — from a single facility

The highest disclosed annual payments to doctors: facility, what the amount is, amount with year, case status with date, and sources.

Where	What the amount is	Amount	Case status	Sources
Public oncology centre in Białystok	One contract doctor paid a percentage of procedures	almost PLN 3 million(≈ €681,000) for 2024A threshold from the audit findings, not an exact amount. Another 16 people: from PLN 1 million to almost PLN 1.5 million.	audit by the owneras of July 2026Audit by the regional government at the end of 2025: 48 recommendations to be implemented by 14 August 2026. We found no information on whether they were implemented.	Kurier PorannyWyborcza Białystok
Regional hospital in Zamość	Radiologist on a civil-law contract — the highest pay in the hospital	PLN 2,741,513.36(≈ €622,000) for 2025The amount was confirmed by the hospital director. The hospital’s reply to an MP’s parliamentary question gives PLN 2,693,719.58 — the sources do not explain the difference. Over PLN 1.77 million was for reporting on imaging studies, the rest for, among other things, readiness to perform procedures and hours outside regular working hours.	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	InteriaDziennik Wschodni
Regional hospital in Koszalin	Highest-paid doctor	PLN 2,599,725(≈ €590,000) for 2025On average over PLN 216 thousand a month. The data were disclosed by a councillor, citing Sieć Obywatelska Watchdog Polska.	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	Wirtualna Polska
Regional hospital in Konin	Highest annual pay of a doctor (all components)	over PLN 2 million(≈ €454,000) gross, for 2025A threshold, not an exact amount. The newsroom did not say where the compilation came from.	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	infoKONIN
Municipal hospital in Sosnowiec	ENT specialist (otorhinolaryngologist) under contract — the highest pay in the hospital	PLN 1.835 million(≈ €417,000) for 2025Hospital data in reply to a councillor’s question. The source does not say whether the amount is gross.	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	Polityka ZdrowotnaWprost
County hospital in Warmia and Mazury	Invoices from one contract doctor	PLN 1,772,879.50(≈ €402,000) for a year (2024)In 2024 the doctor reported 11,577 hours of work — more than there are in a whole year.	investigation suspended, no chargesas of 15 September 2026The District Prosecutor’s Office in Elbląg is investigating the actions of the former CEO of the company running the hospital, not the doctor. The investigation is waiting for an expert opinion.	Dziennik ElbląskiProsecutor’s officeTVN24
Regional hospital in Włocławek	Highest-paid doctor (hospital data)	PLN 1,474,919(≈ €335,000) for 2025	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	DDWłocławek
County hospital in Wadowice	Anaesthetist — the highest pay in the hospital	PLN 1,346,906.59(≈ €306,000) for 2025The hospital pays 89 doctors on civil-law contracts, over PLN 43 million a year in total. The next two amounts: about PLN 1.31 and 1.20 million.	no proceedings described in the sourcesas of 16 October 2026	TVN24Wadowice24
Regional hospital in Kalisz	The four highest-paid contract doctors — combined	about PLN 10 million(≈ €2.27 million) a year, for four people togetherThe amount was confirmed by the hospital director. The hospital has over PLN 40 million of debt.	investigation, no chargesas of 6 August 2026The Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Ostrów Wielkopolski is examining the period of the previous management, including drug purchases and the high pay of several doctors. The investigation has been extended to 14 December 2026.	Rynek ZdrowiaESKA Ostrów

A record in time: more hours than there are in a year

The most extreme record is not about money but about hours. In a county hospital in Warmia and Mazury one contract doctor reported 11,577 hours of work in 2024, although a year has just under 8.8 thousand hours.²⁹ In some months the doctor billed over 1,000 hours, although a month has at most 744, and there were days billed as 72 hours.³³ According to the hospital’s documents, the same hours were billed under several headings at once, e.g. as an ambulance run and as cover for a ward; the hospital stresses that it does not prejudge how many of them were actually worked. The loss was estimated at about PLN 3.8 million (≈ €863,000) over three years by the hospital’s lawyer and accountant — an internal calculation, not a finding of investigators.²⁹

The irregularities were found by a new management board, which began checking rotas and payments after the change of leadership in December 2024. The doctor then resigned and issued the last invoice in July 2025.²⁹ The investigation opened on 2 March 2026 concerns the actions of the former CEO of the company running the hospital, not the doctor.³⁴ As of July nobody had been charged.²⁹ In September prosecutors suspended the investigation pending an expert opinion, which is expected to take at least several months.³⁵

In our view this is the same gap we describe in the text on holding multiple jobs: no system puts together one person’s hours, so impossible rotas come to light only during an inspection.

Contracts outpay employment

The Mazowsze compilation shows more than one record. The marshal’s office gave the ten highest pay amounts separately for employment contracts, B2B contracts and civil-law contracts.⁷ At every position in the ranking the contract is about 2.3 to 3.1 times higher than employment, and the tenth contract (PLN 174,636 (≈ €39,600)) exceeds the highest salary under an employment contract (PLN 101,384 (≈ €23,000)).

The tenth-highest contract is higher than the highest salary under an employment contract

The ten highest monthly pay amounts in the regional hospitals of Mazowsze, 2025, separately for each form of employment. Employment contracts and civil-law contracts — gross; for B2B contracts the source gives a single amount.

Rank	Employment contract	Contract (B2B)	Civil-law contract
1.	PLN 101,384	PLN 316,079 (contract terminated)	PLN 100,147
2.	PLN 97,736	PLN 258,400 (contract terminated)	PLN 62,600
3.	PLN 93,928	PLN 231,738	PLN 51,980
4.	PLN 90,473	PLN 210,301	PLN 49,710
5.	PLN 87,129	PLN 199,100	PLN 43,200
6.	PLN 86,145	PLN 198,204	PLN 35,167
7.	PLN 81,046	PLN 197,229	PLN 33,820
8.	PLN 79,807	PLN 188,775	PLN 32,580
9.	PLN 78,712	PLN 178,638	PLN 32,010
10.	PLN 74,737	PLN 174,636	PLN 31,752

The same pattern appears in other regions whose offices gave amounts according to the same definition. Everywhere the highest contract is roughly two to four times the highest salary under an employment contract.^3691011 Dolny Śląsk gave net amounts (contract PLN 275,222.45 (≈ €62,500)), so we do not put it in the same table.⁸

In every region with a public compilation, the highest contract is 1.9 to 3.9 times the highest salary under an employment contract

The highest monthly pay under a contract and under an employment contract in hospitals run by the regional government, 2025, gross, according to compilations from the marshal’s offices.

Region (voivodeship)	Highest contract	Highest employment contract	Contract ÷ employment
Mazowieckie	PLN 316,079	PLN 101,384	3.1×
Zachodniopomorskie	PLN 216,644	over PLN 55,800	up to 3.9×
Lubuskie	PLN 198,043	PLN 95,443	2.1×
Podkarpackie	PLN 138,968	PLN 71,424	1.9×
Warmińsko-Mazurskie	PLN 136,520	PLN 67,232	2.0×

It is precisely contract amounts that are usually not visible. A salary under an employment contract goes onto the payroll, while a contract is an invoice from the doctor’s business that nobody collects in one place. Where this advantage comes from and what follows from it is described in Contract or employment.

When transparency works and when it does not

The regional hospital in Włocławek gave a full breakdown in answer to a question from a local newsroom. It has 315 doctors: 245 on contracts, 61 on employment contracts and 9 on other agreements. In 2025 they cost the hospital PLN 84.1 million (≈ €19.1 million) in total, i.e. 32.86% of its staff costs. The highest-paid doctor billed PLN 1,474,919 (≈ €335,000) in 2025, and the highest monthly payment in May 2026 was PLN 139,957 (≈ €31,800) gross; for on-call duty the hospital paid at most PLN 350–400 an hour.¹⁴

The total divided by the number of doctors gives an average of about PLN 267 thousand a year, i.e. about PLN 22 thousand a month. This is our calculation, which mixes full and partial employment, so it shows the order of magnitude, not the pay of a specific person. The monthly record is about 6.3 times this average.

In Białystok it was the other way round. The public oncology centre, asked by Gazeta Wyborcza about the high payments, refused to give details.³⁷ The amounts became known only from an audit carried out at the end of 2025 by the hospital’s owner, the marshal’s office: one doctor billed almost PLN 3 million in 2024, and another 16 people — from one million to almost one and a half million zloty.²⁸

The hospital explained the amount by the contract: the doctor receives a percentage of the value of the procedures performed, the ward where the doctor works had over PLN 20 million in revenue, and the doctor personally performed about 40% of its procedures. According to the hospital’s spokesperson, pay does not exceed half of its budget.²⁸ This is the hospital’s position, not an independent finding. The audit ended with 48 recommendations to be implemented by 14 August 2026; we found no information on whether they were implemented.

Percentage-based pay may disappear. A Ministry of Health draft of July 2026 prohibited setting pay as a percentage of the procedure performed. It also introduced a monthly cap — 16 times the minimum wage, currently about PLN 76.8 thousand (≈ €17,400) gross — for total working time of up to two full-time jobs, and a rate for contracts of 1/20 of the minimum wage, about PLN 240 (≈ €55) an hour.³⁸ The government adopted the draft on 22 September 2026.³⁹ On 7 October the first reading took place in the Sejm Health Committee,⁴⁰ and on 22 October the Sejm passed the act; it is now before the Senate.⁴¹ In the adopted version, the pay of a medical professional for services covered by an NFZ contract may not be set as a percentage of what the facility receives under that contract (Article 132ab(12)); none of the amendments tabled at second reading concerned this provision.⁴²⁴³ We describe what else the adopted text contains in our analysis Pay limits for medical staff.

In both cases only one facility is visible. In Włocławek the figures came out because a newsroom asked, in Białystok because the owner ordered an audit. None of these sources shows how much the same person bills in total at several places. We explain why in Lack of transparency.

Incomes public by law

A doctor’s annual income is public only when the doctor holds a public office and files an asset declaration — for example as a local councillor or a hospital director. The website Co w Zdrowiu analysed 160 declarations of councillors who are doctors: the median income was about PLN 285 thousand, one in ten exceeded one million zloty, and the highest declared income was PLN 4.9 million (≈ €1.11 million).⁴⁴

We describe this mechanism — income is visible only because someone holds an office — in our analyses Doctors as local councillors and How much hospital directors earn. We do not repeat the people from those sets on this page.

What these records prove and what they do not

What a compilation could look like in which a record is a point on a full distribution rather than an exception pulled out by the media is described in our proposal.

Notes 44laws, data and statements we relied on

1. Portal Samorządowy (PAP), “Lekarz z warszawskiego szpitala z zarzutem oszustwa” (“Doctor from a Warsaw hospital charged with fraud”, in Polish), 7.10.2026 — a charge of fraud involving property of significant value (over PLN 583 thousand, unreliable invoices); the prosecutors announced it on 7 October. A charge is not a verdict. ↩

2. money.pl, “307 tys. zł. Rekordowa faktura lekarza? Szpital zabrał głos” (“PLN 307 thousand. A doctor’s record invoice? The hospital responds”, in Polish), 13.07.2026. ↩

3. asta24.pl, “Zarobki lekarzy w Pile. Szpital wyjaśnia” (“Doctors’ pay in Piła. The hospital explains”, in Polish), 13.07.2026 — a collective invoice for four months, paid after settlement with the NFZ; TVN24 asked over 500 hospitals, 210 provided data. ↩ ↩²

4. Dziennik Łódzki, “Lekarz pracował 55 godzin na dobę! (…) Inny w miesiąc zarobił 405 tys. zł” (“A doctor worked 55 hours a day! (…) Another earned PLN 405 thousand in a month”, in Polish), 25.09.2026 — the compilation of Wojewódzki Szpital Specjalistyczny w Zgierzu made available to a councillor as public information: 208 doctors on contracts and 125 on employment contracts; in the list of the highest amounts “442 tys. – kontrakt na 1 miesiąc” (“442 thousand – contract for 1 month”), in the article’s introduction PLN 441 thousand. ↩

5. Onet, “Ponad 400 tys. zł za miesiąc pracy. Tyle dostał lekarz spod Łodzi” (“Over PLN 400 thousand for a month’s work. That is what a doctor from near Łódź received”, in Polish), 24.09.2026 — a summary of the Dziennik Łódzki article, published before the hospital’s correction. ↩

6. Dziennik Łódzki, “Lekarz miał pracować 55 godzin dziennie. Szpital w Zgierzu wyjaśnia, skąd wzięły się te dane” (“A doctor was said to have worked 55 hours a day. The hospital in Zgierz explains where the data came from”, in Polish), 25.09.2026 — the hospital’s correction to its reply of 16 September 2026: the period in the column “Okres zatrudnienia (jeśli nie trwał on cały rok 2025)” (“Employment period (if it did not last the whole of 2025)”) “in some cases does not correspond to the actual period” of the contract. ↩

7. Rynek Zdrowia, “W szpitalach mazowieckich można zarobić nawet 316 tys. zł miesięcznie” (“In Mazowsze hospitals you can earn as much as PLN 316 thousand a month”, in Polish) — the compilation of the Mazowieckie Marshal’s Office: the ten highest pay amounts for 2025 by form of employment; the two highest contracts marked as terminated. ↩ ↩²

8. money.pl, highest doctors’ pay in the hospitals of Dolny Śląsk (in Polish), 22.08.2026 — data of the Dolnośląskie Marshal’s Office; all amounts net, hospitals not named. ↩ ↩²

9. money.pl, highest doctors’ pay in the hospitals of the Lubuskie region (in Polish), 1.08.2026 — data of the Lubuskie Marshal’s Office for 2025, gross: contract PLN 198,042.50, employment contract PLN 95,443.08. ↩ ↩²

10. money.pl, highest doctors’ pay in the hospitals of Podkarpacie (in Polish), 2.08.2026 — data of the Podkarpackie Marshal’s Office for 2025, gross, the five highest amounts in each hospital: contract PLN 138,967.51 (Tarnobrzeg), employment contract PLN 71,424.11 (Rzeszów). ↩ ↩²

11. money.pl, top earners in the regional hospitals of Warmia and Mazury (in Polish), 21.07.2026 — data of the marshal’s office for 14 entities in the region for 2025, gross: contract PLN 136,520.32 according to the table (the text says “over PLN 132.5 thousand”), employment contract PLN 67,232.08. ↩ ↩²

12. Dziennik.pl, “Po roku zostają milionerami. Ujawnili stawki lekarzy na kontraktach” (“Millionaires after a year. Contract doctors’ rates disclosed”, in Polish), 18.06.2026 — rates of hospitals in the Łódź region, including the regional hospital in Bełchatów (for the orthopaedic surgeon the source does not name the hospital); statement by a lawyer from Sieć Obywatelska Watchdog Polska, quoted after Gazeta Wyborcza. ↩

13. Dziennik Wschodni, “Ile zarabiają lekarze w Lublinie? Stawki mogą zaskoczyć” (“How much do doctors in Lublin earn? The rates may surprise you”, in Polish), 24.02.2026 — monthly contract rates in a university hospital; the data were collected by journalists of Gazeta Wyborcza. ↩

14. DDWłocławek, “Milionowe zarobki lekarzy także w szpitalu we Włocławku” (“Million-zloty doctors’ pay at the Włocławek hospital too”, in Polish) — the hospital’s answers to the newsroom’s questions: number of doctors by form of employment, costs for 2025 (PLN 84,092,534.80), the highest annual and monthly payment, on-call rates. ↩ ↩²

15. Interia, doctors’ pay at the hospital in Ostróda (in Polish) — pay for January–May 2026 from a letter of the hospital’s president to a county councillor; also Polsat News, on the same compilation (in Polish), 28.07.2026. ↩

16. TVN24, “Ile zarabiają lekarze? Wysłaliśmy pytania do ponad 500 szpitali” (“How much do doctors earn? We sent questions to over 500 hospitals”, in Polish) — a survey on pay for May 2026 (TVN24+). ↩

17. Rzeczpospolita, “625 lekarzy w Polsce zarabia powyżej 100 tys. zł. Dotarliśmy do wyliczeń” (“625 doctors in Poland earn over PLN 100,000. We have obtained the calculations”, in Polish), 27.05.2026 — data of the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System (AOTMiT) from February 2026: the median monthly payment to a specialist under one hospital contract PLN 25,595. 316,079 ÷ 25,595 ≈ 12.3 is our calculation. ↩

18. Rzeczpospolita (PAP), “300 tys. zł za dzień pracy. Tyle mieli zarabiać neurochirurdzy w szpitalach” (“PLN 300 thousand for a day’s work. That is what neurosurgeons were said to earn in hospitals”, in Polish), 6.07.2026 — based on findings by Wirtualna Polska. ↩

19. Bankier.pl (PAP), “Bez zarzutów po 1,5 roku. Prokuratura bada działalność neurochirurgów” (“No charges after 1.5 years. Prosecutors examine the neurosurgeons’ activities”, in Polish), 8.07.2026 — investigation supervised by the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Bydgoszcz since the end of 2024; a separate proceeding conducted by the CBA under the supervision of the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Słupsk; NFZ penalty of over PLN 2.6 million under appeal. ↩ ↩²

20. Bankier.pl, “Prywatny szpital ujawnił zarobki lekarzy pracujących na NFZ. Rekordzista dostał 337 tys. zł” (“A private hospital disclosed the pay of doctors working for the NFZ. The top earner received PLN 337 thousand”, in Polish), 20.08.2026 — after Gazeta Wyborcza; hospital data provided at the request of Sieć Obywatelska Watchdog Polska. ↩

21. RMF24, “Niemal 8 tys. zł za godzinę. Warszawski szpital ujawnił, ile płaci lekarzom” (“Almost PLN 8 thousand an hour. A Warsaw hospital disclosed how much it pays doctors”, in Polish), 20.08.2026. ↩

22. Wirtualna Polska, “Ogromne zarobki lekarzy w Koszalinie. Placówka odpowiada na pytania” (“Huge doctors’ pay in Koszalin. The facility answers questions”, in Polish), 14.07.2026 — data for 2025 disclosed by a councillor, citing Sieć Obywatelska Watchdog Polska; 320 is the number of all employees covered by the compilation, not only doctors. ↩

23. infoKONIN, compilation of pay in the regional hospitals in Konin and Kalisz for 2025 (in Polish), 6.07.2026 — gross amounts with all components; the newsroom labelled the material as its own work and did not give the source of the compilation. ↩

24. Interia, the highest pay of a doctor at the hospital in Zamość (in Polish), August 2026 — hospital data, amount confirmed by the director. ↩

25. Dziennik Wschodni, components of the pay of the radiologist from Zamość (in Polish), 8.10.2026 — the hospital’s reply to an MP’s parliamentary question: PLN 2,693,719.58, civil-law contract. ↩

26. Polityka Zdrowotna, the highest pay of a doctor at the municipal hospital in Sosnowiec (in Polish), 11.08.2026 — the hospital’s reply to a councillor’s question, after Gazeta Wyborcza; also Wprost, on the same data (in Polish), 11.08.2026. ↩

27. TVN24, doctors’ pay at the hospital in Wadowice (in Polish), 9.07.2026 — after the Wadowice24 portal; 89 doctors on civil-law contracts, over PLN 43 million in total. ↩

28. Kurier Poranny, “Milionowe wypłaty i pytania o wysokość dodatków. Audyt w centrum onkologii” (“Million-zloty payments and questions about the size of allowances. Audit at the oncology centre”, in Polish), July 2026 — findings of the audit by the Podlaskie Marshal’s Office and the hospital’s position. ↩ ↩² ↩³

29. Dziennik Elbląski, “Zarobki lekarza sięgnęły prawie 1,8 mln zł” (“A doctor’s earnings reached almost PLN 1.8 million”, in Polish), 9.07.2026 — 11,577 hours in 2024, invoices for PLN 1,772,879.50, estimate of the loss, change of management board, resignation, no charges. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

30. Rynek Zdrowia, “Szpital w Kaliszu ma płacić czterem lekarzom 10 mln zł rocznie” (“The hospital in Kalisz reportedly pays four doctors PLN 10 million a year”, in Polish), 13.11.2025. ↩

31. Radio ESKA Kalisz, “Szpital w prokuraturze. Jest zawiadomienie od marszałka” (“The hospital reported to prosecutors. The marshal has filed a notification”, in Polish). ↩

32. Radio ESKA Ostrów Wielkopolski, “Nieprawidłowości w kaliskim szpitalu. Śledztwo przedłużone do 14 grudnia” (“Irregularities at the Kalisz hospital. Investigation extended to 14 December”, in Polish), 6.08.2026. ↩

33. Interia, “Lekarz „pracował” nawet 72 godziny na dobę” (“A doctor ‘worked’ as many as 72 hours a day”, in Polish). ↩

34. Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Elbląg, announcement on the investigation by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Elbląg concerning the company running the county hospital (in Polish), 13.07.2026 — the investigation opened on 2.03.2026 concerns the actions of the company’s former CEO in 2018–2024 (Article 296 § 2 of the Criminal Code in conjunction with Article 160 § 2 of the Criminal Code). ↩

35. TVN24, “Śledztwo w sprawie chirurga zawieszone” (“Investigation concerning a surgeon suspended”, in Polish), 15.09.2026 — suspended pending an expert opinion. ↩

36. money.pl, highest doctors’ pay in the hospitals of Pomorze Zachodnie (in Polish), 15.07.2026 — data of the marshal’s office for 2025: a monthly invoice of PLN 216,643.81 gross (the top earner from Koszalin, the same as in the annual table), employment contract over PLN 55.8 thousand gross. ↩

37. Gazeta Wyborcza Białystok, “Prawie 3 mln zł dla jednego lekarza. Szpital nie chce ujawnić szczegółów” (“Almost PLN 3 million for one doctor. The hospital does not want to disclose details”, in Polish). ↩

38. Rynek Zdrowia, “Limit 240 zł za godzinę i 76,8 tys. zł miesięcznie dla medyków, maksymalnie dwa etaty. Jest projekt” (“A limit of PLN 240 an hour and PLN 76.8 thousand a month for medical staff, at most two full-time jobs. The draft is out”, in Polish), 25.07.2026 — draft published on the Government Legislation Centre (RCL) website on 24.07.2026. ↩

39. Rynek Zdrowia, “Limity wynagrodzeń przyjęte przez rząd” (“Pay limits adopted by the government”, in Polish), 22.09.2026 — a cap of 16 times the minimum wage for 320 hours a month, half a year to adjust contracts. ↩

40. Rynek Zdrowia, “Komisja Zdrowia za rządowym projektem ustawy dot. wynagrodzeń medyków” (“Health Committee backs the government bill on medical staff pay”, in Polish), 8.10.2026 — first reading on 7.10.2026. ↩

41. Sejm of the Republic of Poland, 67th sitting, 22.10.2026 — vote no. 149 (in Polish) on the bill on pay limits for medical staff as a whole: 229 in favour, 144 against, 67 abstentions. ↩

42. Report of the Sejm Health Committee on the government bill amending the Act on publicly funded healthcare services and certain other acts, print no. 3193 (in Polish), 7.10.2026 — Article 1(24), Article 132ab(12). ↩

43. Additional report of the Sejm Health Committee, print no. 3193-A (in Polish), 21.10.2026 — amendments tabled at second reading; none concerns Article 132ab(12). ↩

44. Co w Zdrowiu, “Ile zarabiają lekarze-radni? Rekord to 4,9 mln zł” (“How much do councillors who are doctors earn? The record is PLN 4.9 million”, in Polish) — analysis of 160 asset declarations of councillors who are doctors (a different set from the one in our analysis of councillors). ↩