Over PLN 1.1 billion less for psychiatric care next year. "This is a serious threat."

• The voivodeship marshals support the demands of the General Assembly of Delegates of the Polish Psychiatric Association addressed to the Minister of Health, Jolanta Sobierańska-Grenda, which contributed to the decision to extend the deadline for completing the pilot program in Mental Health Centers (CZP).
• According to them, however, the settlement mechanism and the lump sum parameters in their current wording only reward large, territorially extensive CZP areas, and in practice discriminate against entities, including hospitals, which - despite their clinical potential - serve less populated counties.
• For the financing of psychiatric care and addiction treatment, the draft annual financial plan of the National Health Fund for 2026 envisages an amount of PLN 1.145 billion.919 thousand lower than in 2025.
• “Such a situation would pose a serious threat to the functioning of psychiatric treatment in 2026,” believes the board of the ZW RP.

On October 10, 2025, the Ministry of Health published a statement announcing that the Mental Health Centers pilot program will be extended until the end of 2026. It notes that work is beginning on amending the regulation governing this program, including in the area of ​​financing, i.e., increasing the rate per beneficiary.

"However , the communication does not specify the specific amount allocated for the CZP pilot in 2026, nor does it explain whether and how it will be possible to include new centers in the pilot (including those that were indicated in the regulation as CZP units but have not yet concluded an agreement with the National Health Fund)," the Management Board of the Union of the Provinces of the Republic of Poland points out in its position.

Therefore, it requests detailed information on the funds earmarked for the implementation of the programme next year, as well as the procedures and conditions for including new centres in it – especially those designated in the regulation as CZPs but which have not yet concluded an agreement.

The settlement mechanism and the lump sum parameters in their current wording only reward large, territorially extensive CZP areas

The organization indicates that the analysis of implementation and access to entities performing CZP tasks shows that the territorial coverage of the centers is approximately 51% of the population.

"This means that nearly half of the country's population still lives outside the area covered by the community-based model. Maintaining the pilot program at its current pace of expansion preserves the gaps and hinders quick access to the Reporting and Coordination Point (PZK), community treatment, and day hospitals," explains Olgierd Geblewicz, head of the Polish Military District and Marshal of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship.

He adds that the current settlement mechanism and lump sum parameters reward only large, territorially extensive CZP areas, and in practice discriminate against entities, including hospitals, that – despite their clinical potential – serve less populated counties . As a result, hospitals that are denied entry onto the CZP list – despite repeated applications – not only lose current lump sum revenues, but are also devalued in infrastructure competitions due to the design preference for CZP.

The Management Board of the ZW RP is concerned about the appearance in the public sphere of information about the amount of funds allocated to financing psychiatric care and addiction treatment in the draft annual financial plan of the National Health Fund for 2026.

"According to the information obtained, PLN 7.971 billion 429 thousand has been allocated for this purpose, which represents 3.96% of the total costs of National Health Fund healthcare services and would mean a reduction in funding for psychiatric and addiction treatment by PLN 1.145 billion 919 thousand compared to 2025, " he calculates. "Such a situation would pose a serious threat to the functioning of psychiatric treatment in 2026."

About PLN 2.5 billion would go to CZP.

However, what is worrying for the regions is not only the risk of reduced financial resources, but also the practice of the NFZ provincial branches of refusing to conclude contracts under the ongoing pilot program, even in situations where the legal provisions clearly indicate the implementer and the area covered by the pilot program.

" Such actions lack a clear legal basis and lead to failure to implement a generally applicable act of law, such as the regulation of the Minister of Health . As a consequence, patients from these areas remain deprived of access to a modern model of community-based psychiatric care, which is contrary to the goals and assumptions of the pilot program," they warn.

Local government officials are calling for urgent action to calm the mood in the psychiatric community and to introduce changes in the implementation of the pilot program at the psychiatric hospital that are appropriate to social needs.

"Caring for the mental health of society, as well as rational planning of treatment costs and preventive measures in this area, require good cooperation between all stakeholders, transparent decisions and responsible, coordinated actions on the part of public administration," they argue.

They add that given the unquestionable need to change the model of psychiatric care, the important role of psychiatric hospitals and their involvement in training specialist staff cannot be forgotten.