Karol Nawrocki vetoed a law that extended the deadline for submitting a B1 level Polish language certificate for doctors from outside the EU by one year. Without this document, medical professionals cannot work in Poland.
As of May 1, regional medical chambers began revoking the right to practice for those who did not provide the certificate. According to «Rzeczpospolita,» 441 doctors have already lost their right to work.
This concerns medical professionals who received temporary rights to practice during the COVID-19 pandemic and then after the start of the war in Ukraine. Initially, they were supposed to confirm their language proficiency by the end of April. An amendment passed by the Sejm and the Senate extended this deadline to 2027, but the president rejected it.
Nawrocki stated that patients should be able to communicate freely with their doctors, which is impossible without knowledge of the language, and this is a matter of treatment safety.
According to the medical chambers, the most licenses have been revoked in the Lower Silesian region (129), Warsaw (99), Warmian-Masurian (52), and Greater Poland (42). In Pomerania, 30 doctors lost their right to practice. Overall, more than 2300 doctors and about 1000 dentists did not submit the required certificate.
The head of the medical self-government supported the president’s decision, stating that only doctors who know Polish should treat patients in Poland.
The simplified employment procedure for doctors from Ukraine and other non-EU countries was in effect until October 2024. After that, nostrification of the diploma or passing an exam in Poland is required to continue working.
