Polish protesters warn that health care crisis is looming

By VANESSA GERA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Doctors, nurses and other health care workers in Poland have been camping out in front of the prime minister’s offices for nearly two weeks to protest working conditions and demand higher wages. Poland has the lowest number of working doctors to its population in the 27-nation European Union, and its nurses are also stretched thin. This situation has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Faced with low wages, thousands of medical workers have left Poland for higher paid work in Western Europe since it joined the EU in 2004.  Protesters warn today that if the problem isn’t tackled now, the country will face a severe health care crisis in the coming years.