Polish health reform grants NFZ president sweeping powers, critics warn of 'police state'

A proposed Polish health reform would give the National Health Fund (NFZ) president near-unlimited authority to order inspections at facilities without contracts and grant inspectors access to medical records without medical qualifications or accountability. Critics, including experts quoted by Gazeta Wyborcza, describe the provisions as creating a 'police state' and express alarm. The reform is at a legislative stage, with details and final scope still uncertain, but it signals a significant shift in health governance and civil liberties.