Is it expensive to give birth in Poland?

My boyfriend is polish and we're having a baby...and we would like to move to Poland...is it expensive for foreigners to give birth there?

Private births are around 4,000 PLN. State births are most common, im not sure what the criteria is for you to qualify for a free state birth but I do know that if youre not prepared to slip a few hundered Zlotys to the Doctors and nurses here and there you will be treated shockingly compared to what we are used to from the NHS.

okay thank you...is there any website where i can see how much it costs in a state hospital?

I had two "state" births in Poland and there was absolutely nothing shocking about either, and I did not offer anyone a penny for anything. So it's not so black and white, you know. And this way waaay back in the old days, early nineties, when supposedly Polish obstetrics were primitive and steeped in the evil communist ways of the previous era.

I suppose your one of those who thinks you dont have to bribe driving examiners as well.

Everyone I know and anybody i ask who is Polish is aware of the bribing Doctors scenario in order to recieve preferential treatment. Personally I wouldn't have my wife give birth in a state hospital if they paid me substantial amounts of cash.

Funnily enough, yes. And I passed, too. How very strange.
It is my humble opinion that those who believe they must bribe certain groups of people in order to get from them what those same people are paid to do in the first place, create the bribery scenario themselves.

In hospital, almost every new mother around me bent over backwards to kiss a** and generally make herself agreeable to the staff, yet somehow we all got exactly the same treatment.

If no one bribed anybody, there would be no expectation of same.

I have bribed and got what i wanted for example a bribe of 8,000 PLN provided me with substantially more, money well spent in my opinion. I wont go into specifics.

In my opinion people who cant afford to bribe dont, and dont really know what they are missing.

I cant believe u have to bribe to be good taken care of... It's 2008!! We live in iceland now but since everything is going to hell here we'd like to relocate but Id lose all my rights here so I wouldnt have any money after birth :(

I already said somewhere else in the forum that I participated in 3 births of my sons. The first cost us 500 zlotys, the second 300, the third in 2006 was for free. All births were taken care of by professional dedicated doctors and nurses.

However, it also matters what happens afterwards. A woman must spend a few days/weeks in the maternal ward. Before the third birth my wife had been regularly consulting the main gynecologist in the hospital, in his private surgery, each visit cost 80 zlotys (today it may be 100 or even more) and there were a dozen of them or more. After the birth the doctor looked after my wife, showed a lot of interest, explained and advised.

My wife said that other women didn`t have such comfort, especially the young ones. Nobody talked to them, they were practically ignored by the staff.

Yes thats what people say, if you slip a few hundred here and there you can rest assured of decent medical care. The ones that dont pay recieve the bare minimum in treatment.

An associate of mine recently had twins at a local hospital hes English she's Polish they paid 20 PLN per gynaecologist visit and she had the state treatment. he was absolutely appauled at the way in which they handled the birth. I asked did you pay anybody on the side the response was negative, there you have it then! was my reply.

My wife gave birth in Poland and I blogged about it here: britishinpoland.com/blog/2008/06/giving-birth-in-poland/

Our experience tends to go with what Wroclaw Boy is saying. We didn't bribe anybody at first and the duty doctor didn't step outside his office. Once my parents-in-law arrived at the hospital and felt that my wife wasn't been given enough care, 500zl later and the Doctor magically appeared and then couldn't do enough for us.

I got the impression that we would have been looked after to a sufficient standard without any 'łapówki' but a few sheckle made a big difference.

Great blog that'll come in handy.

thank you :) Nice blog :) strange u gotta stay some days in hospital here in Iceland u can go home few hours afterwards...

I'm planning to have my baby in Poznan. My boyfriend is Polish. Any suggestions on Doctors or hospitals there?

hey Lark...Are u and ur bf movin to Poland?

People are greedy all over. It is a fact. Some cultures accept this more and Poland has a left over culture of bribes from the Communist times. There is an effort to clean this up in the public eye and in certain sectors but the reality is behind closed doors in many areas it is still very much alive. it is not exclusive to Poland but present in all post communist areas. It is also common in African, Arab and Chinese (specifically as most asian cultures do not bribe commonly) cultures. Now I did not say Westerners never bribe but it is not as common nor as accepted...that isn't racism just a fact. I often get irritated by it and proclaim I will never pay anyone again but sometimes you just cave in and get on with it.

I have bribed when I really needed something and not bribed and paid the price in worse service...and yeah sometimes they won't go for it so it isn't like you have to pay everyone you encounter money but it is not a myth as some would have you believe.

Tanya, if you are UE citizen and holder of European Health Insurance Card - it costs nothing. I am a Polish doctor myself (though not an obstetrician) and absolutely disegree that you need to pay in Polish public sector. It is deeply rooted in some people's minds that they need to bribe to get proper treatment, but believe me, only minority of doctors (and they are not necessarily the best ones)accept bribes.

Of course you may also decide to go for the privat sector but only if you are healthy and not having any pregnancy-related problems.
There is a Polish website called "Rodzic Po Ludzku" with reviews of nearly all maternity wards, so your boyfriend may check hospitals in your area and choose the best one : rodzicpoludzku.pl/szukaj.php

And remember if everything is OK it is not the doctor who is important but the midwife (of course only after you and your baby :) )

If you choose a hospital the best would be to join their classes for future parents, so you are not only prepared for delivery but get to know the place and midwifes.

Good luck.

Thank you for the information :) Iceland is not in the EU union tho, so I'm sure it would cost me something :/

Because Iceland is in the EEA, you should be covered. [dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Entitlementsandcharges/OverseasVisitors/Browsable/DH_074392] Here are details about how that works in UK, and the Polish consulate in Reykjavik should be able to advise on the situation re. Poland.

thanks Jonni... Are you Icelandic?

I hear all over again that some people had serious problem with giving birth in Warsaw. I was shocked - I would recommend private clinic.

Have you experienced this yourself though?

Is this the sort of thing America has to look forward to with Obama's socialized healthcare scheme.

Why is in necessary in Poland to have to bribe doctors? That sounds very corrupt and old-fashioned. Is this because of the Communist past? Is it a similar scenario in other former Eastern bloc countries?

It's not necessary. But if they save your life it might be worth considering a large tip/contribution to the Christmas fund..

In the UK and Ireland, a doctor would be almost insulted if you offered him/her a bribe, as they would see this as you questioning their professionalism!!