No more queues to specialists, but not everyone will benefit. Who will get to the doctor faster?

Soon, on June 1, 2024, the central e-registration that has been announced for some time will come into force. The first step will be the ability to make appointments faster and easier, but only with selected specialists. Additionally, a special hotline will be launched, intended primarily for older people who do not use the Internet. At the very beginning of her activity, the Minister of Health assured that the queues to doctors would be shorter during the current term of office.

Who will benefit from central e-registration first?

Minister of Health Izabela Leszczyna announced in the “Bez uników” program on Radio Three that central e-registration is to start from June 1, 2024. The pilot program will last until March 31, 2025. The latest reports show that, first of all, such e-registration will enable registration with a cardiologist, as well as for mammography and cytology tests. A few months ago, the Minister of Health also noted that if the system functions efficiently, further specializations will be added.

Additionally, to encourage participation in this pilot program, the Ministry of Health is to subsidize medical facilities that decide to implement such e-registration. The amount of such support is to depend, among other things, on the number of benefits provided and the duration of participation in the program, but also on whether the entity will use its own IT system or the Gabinet.gov.pl platform.

How will central e-registration work?

So far, the Ministry of Health has not presented a plan on what exactly such e-registration will look like – it is in the process of developing the project, but according to “Dziennik Gazeta Prawna”, the rules are to be similar to those that applied in the case of COVID-19 vaccinations. On the Patient's Online Account, you will be able to choose the date, facility, doctor and type of advice. The system will then propose available dates. If the waiting time exceeds 6 months, the patient will be placed on the waiting list.

As the Minister of Health, Izabela Leszczyna, pointed out, the ability to cancel visits is to be an important element of central e-registration. This will prevent free slots in the doctor's schedule and, consequently, reduce queues to specialists. For a long time, the National Health Fund has been calling on people to cancel visits because the doctor will be able to see another patient at that time. As announced by the head of the Ministry of Health, a special hotline will also be established to enable registration for older people, for whom using the Internet may be a major problem.