Discussion Papers 1988. 
Spatial Organization and Regional Development 207-219. p. 
2 07 
Ludwik MAZURKIEWICZ 
SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM 
IN POLAND 
In contemporary human geography, great at-
tention has focussed recently upon a multicontext 
problem of human wellbeing, Among factors deter-
mining the well-being or welfare status of the 
population living in a given territory, the factors 
related to the health of the population play an im-
portant role. The discipline concerning them is 
medical geography, which in general deals with spa-
tial aspects of health and health care delivery. 
Medical geography, well  developed  in other countries, 
is still almost unknown and practically not applied 
in Poland. 
In 1986, a research program was established 
under the title "Spatial determinants of socio-
economic development of Poland" and the Institute 
of Geography and Spatial Organization of the Polish 
Academy of Sciences is responsible for coordinating 
and conducting the program. As its part, studies 
concerning typical problems of medical geography 
have been initiated in the form of a research sub-
program entitled "Spatial determinants of popula-
tion health and modelling an optimal spatial struc-
ture of the health care system". 
In this paper, some preliminary results of 
the first stage of the above mentioned studies are 
presented. The results deal with the spatial organi-
zation of the system of health care services at the 
scale of the territory of Poland. To recognize all 

Ludwik Mazurkiewicz : Spatial Organzation of the Health Care System in Poland. In : Spatial Organization and Region Development. 
Pécs,Centre for Regional Studies, 1988. 207-219. p. Discussion Papers, Spatial Organization and Regional Development
aspects of this organization, proper data are needed, 
which are spread, however, among many offices and 
institutions and, as usually in such a situation, 
substantial difficulties have been encountered to 
collect the information required. The process of 
data collecting is now in progress, but not all the 
necessary empirical material is gathered as yet. 
This is the main reason that only a fragmentary 
picture of the spatial structure of the health care 
system can be presented in this paper, 
The health care delivery system in Poland is 
composed of all health institutions within the Na-
tional Health Service, which serves approximately 
37  million people. These institutions were called 
into being by legal acts of  1973,  when health in-
stitutions were put together; and of  1975,  when 
welfare facilities were added. Establishing new or- 
ganizational form of health care was part of a wider 
program of reorganizing the whole administrative 
structure of the state. A spatial aspect of this ad-
ministrative reform was to divide the territory of 
the country into 49 voivodship regions replacing the 
old partition including 22 units. 
All the health institutions within the National 
Health Service, except the supraregional viovidship 
health care and special health services, are laid 
down and administered by the voivodship authorities. 
This falls into autonomous liabilities of voivodships 
and their administrative authorities, The other 
health institutions within the National Health Ser-
vice are founded by the Minister of Health. 
The health care system in Poland, as a com-
plex socio-economic system covering the whole ter-
ritory of the country, is hierarchical in its 

Ludwik Mazurkiewicz : Spatial Organzation of the Health Care System in Poland. In : Spatial Organization and Region Development. 
Pécs,Centre for Regional Studies, 1988. 207-219. p. Discussion Papers, Spatial Organization and Regional Development
structure. Three hierarchical levels /tiers/ con-
stitute the structure of this system. The lowest 
tier is that of primary care. 
The most common and typical institutions in 
the first level of the health care system are Local 
Health Care Complexes /in Polish abbreviation - 
ZOZ's/. Local Health Care Complexes /LHCC's/ were 
founded in  1973  to ensure integral health care for 
the district population. A district was at that 
time an intermediary unit between the province and 
the comune. When LHCCs arose, there were 392 dis-
tricts with an average of 85000 inhabitants each. 
The  1975  administrative reform abolished districts. 
LHCC lost support at that administrative authority 
level maintaining, however, their tasks and activity 
areas. 
The LHCC is designed to provide a full range 
of medical services. Included are such services as: 
- primary health care with social welfare 
provided at the domicile; 
- hospital services; 
- specialist out-patient services; 
- first aid; 
- diagnostic laboratory and other services; 
- institutional care of infants and the 
elderly. 
Those services are subject to common management and 
are financed from the same budget. As single-handed 
institutions, LHCCs carry on such tasks as: person-
nel policy planning, laying-out the development of 
institutions and facilities, cost planning, and 
maintenance and repair of facilities and equipment. 

Ludwik Mazurkiewicz : Spatial Organzation of the Health Care System in Poland. In : Spatial Organization and Region Development. 
Pécs,Centre for Regional Studies, 1988. 207-219. p. Discussion Papers, Spatial Organization and Regional Development
210 
In 1983 there were 404 Local Health Care Complexes 
in Poland serving approximately  37  million popula-
tion, which gave the average of 91,500 inhabitants 
per one LHCC. 
The spatial distribution of LHCCs and their 
sizes measured in number of population served is 
presented in  Figure 1. 
 There are distinguished six 
classes of sizes, which range from almost 17,000 
to nearly 400,000 population. Four LHCCs serve a 
population larger than 300,000, and 22 LHCCs a po-
pulation larger than 200,000 in each case. The 
first ten largest LHCCs are: Szczecin /399,670/, 
Katowice /381,336/, Lublin /320,200/, Kielce 
/314,000/, Praga Pld., one of seven districts of 
Warsaw, /287,900/, Nowa Huta /270,000/, Rzesz6w 
/260,000/, Krowodrza, part of KrakOw city, /260,000/, 
Sosnowiec /258,000/ and Radom /250,000/, In Warsaw 
there are 11 LHCCs. Their sizes have been summarized 
and presented in Figure 1 in the form of  7  larger 
units corresponding to the main administrative dis-
tricts into which the city is divided. 
On the other hand, the smallest LHCCs are 
Miedzych6d in Gorz6w voivodship, /16,878/, Pionki 
and Nowe Miasto, both in Radom voivodship, /18,000/, 
and Chelmza, Torun voivodship, /20,000/. In Figure 
1, the average size of LHCC typical of this region 
also is attached to each voivodship. As may be seen 
from the Figure, the smallest average size LHCCs 
are in Gorz6w voivodship /43,1/, Suvalki  /48,6/, 
Pila /56,0/, and Olsztyn /58,9/: while the largest 
ones are in KrakOw voivodship /191,7/, Wroclaw 
/154,9/, L6dz /145,7/ and Bielsko Biala /142,51; 
all numbers in brackets are in thousands. 

Ludwik Mazurkiewicz : Spatial Organzation of the Health Care System in Poland. In : Spatial Organization and Region Development. 
Pécs,Centre for Regional Studies, 1988. 207-219. p. Discussion Papers, Spatial Organization and Regional Development
211 
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Classes of size in thousands of people 

50 and less 
4-  150 - 200 
+ 50 - 100 
• 200 - 300 
G 100  - 150 
q10 300 and more 
FIGURE 1 
The distribution and sizes of 404 Local Health 
Care Complexes in Poland 

Ludwik Mazurkiewicz : Spatial Organzation of the Health Care System in Poland. In : Spatial Organization and Region Development. 
Pécs,Centre for Regional Studies, 1988. 207-219. p. Discussion Papers, Spatial Organization and Regional Development
212 
Apart from LHCCs, primary health care also 
includes health institutions dealing exclusively 
with the health care of workers employed in areas 
that actually overlap areas of the LHCCs activi-
ties. These institutions, termed Industrial Health 
Complexes/IHC/, are established in highly industri-
alized areas with a great number of workers. They 
provide primary health care activities and a vast 
range of ambulatory services; in certain areas 
hospital treatment is also provided, but not social 
services 
The second level in the health care system 
hierarchy consists of institutions covering by 
their services the population of particular voivod-
ships. The idea of integration applied at the re-
gional level gave rise to the concept of Integrated 
Voivodship Hospitals /IVH/. An Integrated Voivod-
ship Hospital performs not only specialist medical 
functions, but also developmental and manpower 
tasks, In compliance with regulations, the IV Hos-
pitals should involve: 
- health related tasks: inpatient services, 
ambulatory specialist services, and emergency ser-
vices; 
- developmental and staff functions: organi-
zation of medical personnel training for regional 
centres, development of social welfare, planning 
and programming of activities; 
- auxiliary tasks: administrative, economic 
and technical tasks, personal policy and social 
services. 
Integrated Voivodships Hospitals have been 
established mainly in newly created voivodships. 

Ludwik Mazurkiewicz : Spatial Organzation of the Health Care System in Poland. In : Spatial Organization and Region Development. 
Pécs,Centre for Regional Studies, 1988. 207-219. p. Discussion Papers, Spatial Organization and Regional Development
213 
This is shown in Figure 2 where locations of hos-
pitals are underlined when they are situated in 
new regions. Few of these regions do not set up 
a IVH and instead organize Voivodship Hospitals. 
In the case of new voivodships, these hos-
pitals do not carry on specialized functions. But 
at the same time specialized services are provided 
by Voivodship Hospitals localized in "old" voivod-
ships, that is, in regions remaining as fragments 
of those existing before the administrative reform. 
On Figure 2, these hospitals are mostly in cities 
whose names are not underlined. As compared with 
hospitals created in new regions, the Voivodship 
Hosipitals in the old voivodships, by reason of 
longer treatment traditions, are better equiped, 
their personnel is much better trained, and they 
provide a larger range of specialized functions. 
Thus two kinds of institutions constitute the second 
level in the health care system hierarchy - Voivod-
ship Hospitals and Integrated Voivodship Hospitals - 
excluding some specialized wards in the case of the 
latter hospitals as well as in the case of Voivod-
ship Hospitals, when they are situated in old voi-
vodships. 
The third level of the health care system 
in Poland is the supraregional tier, constituted 
of numerous "narrow" specialities provided by cer-
tain wards of Voivodship Hospitals, Medical Acad-
emies hospitals, and medical research institutes. 
As examples of specialized wards in Voivodship Hos-
pitals, the dialysis centres and oncological clin-
ics are presented on Figure  3 
 and Figure  4 
 respecti-
vely. 

Ludwik Mazurkiewicz : Spatial Organzation of the Health Care System in Poland. In : Spatial Organization and Region Development. 
Pécs,Centre for Regional Studies, 1988. 207-219. p. Discussion Papers, Spatial Organization and Regional Development
214 


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Dots represent locations of LHCCs. 
FIGURE 2 
The distribution of the Voivodship Hospitals 
in Poland 

Ludwik Mazurkiewicz : Spatial Organzation of the Health Care System in Poland. In : Spatial Organization and Region Development. 
Pécs,Centre for Regional Studies, 1988. 207-219. p. Discussion Papers, Spatial Organization and Regional Development
215 
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Source: Dziennik Urzedowy MZiOS, 1980, 8. 
FIGURE 3 Location and catchment areas of dialysis 
centres in Poland. 

• 
▪  
Ludwik Mazurkiewicz : Spatial Organzation of the Health Care System in Poland. In : Spatial Organization and Region Development. 
Pécs,Centre for Regional Studies, 1988. 207-219. p. Discussion Papers, Spatial Organization and Regional Development
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Source: Dziennik Urzedowy MZiOS, 1975, 18. 
FIGURE  
Location of oncological hospitals in Poland 
in relation to areas they serve. 

Ludwik Mazurkiewicz : Spatial Organzation of the Health Care System in Poland. In : Spatial Organization and Region Development. 
Pécs,Centre for Regional Studies, 1988. 207-219. p. Discussion Papers, Spatial Organization and Regional Development
21_7. 
In Figure 3, locations of 25 dialysis centres 
and their catchment areas are shown. A national 
average is almost extly one centre per two voivod-
ships. This proportion varies and so, on the one 
hand, there are centres serving three voivodships 
each, like Katowice, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, Bialystok, 
and Warszawa; while on the other hand, some voivod-
ships have their own dialysis centres, for example: 
Plock, Pila, Konin, Slupsk, Kielce, and Radom. 
On Figure  4,  the spatial distribution of  16 
oncological clinics and wards is presented. In this 
case, the country average is one clinic per three 
voivodships. As may be seen from Figure 4, dispari-
ties in the sizes of areas being served are quite 
large. The largest catchment areas have Warszawa and 
Lodz, six and five voivodships to be served respecti-
vely, and the smallest areas of influence are in the 
case of Katowice and Czestochowa as well as Olsztyn 
and Bialystok, Spatial organization of oncological 
treatment services is such that patients living 
anywhere in a given set of voivodships are served 
by two oncological centres excluding the areas of 
influence of Warszawa, LOdz, Lublin, and Szczecin 
clinics. 
Medical Academies, due to a 1982 regulation, 
act singlehandedly, independent of both the Minister 
of Health and administrative authorities. The range 
of services provided is subject to an agreement be-
tween the Medical Academy and administrative author-
ities of several ndghbouring voivodships. In Poland 
there are several Medical Academies, eleven each 
covering the population of 4-6 voivodships. Figure  5  
shows the distribution of Academies andthestzeor( lrea 
under their influence, The largest catchment areas 

Ludwik Mazurkiewicz : Spatial Organzation of the Health Care System in Poland. In : Spatial Organization and Region Development. 
Pécs,Centre for Regional Studies, 1988. 207-219. p. Discussion Papers, Spatial Organization and Regional Development
218 




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The catchment area composed of two separate parts is 
hatched. Dots represent locations of LHCCs. 
Sources Dziennik Urzedowy MZiOS, 1975, 18. 
FIGURE 5 Location and catchment areas of Medical 
Academies in Poland. 

Ludwik Mazurkiewicz : Spatial Organzation of the Health Care System in Poland. In : Spatial Organization and Region Development. 
Pécs,Centre for Regional Studies, 1988. 207-219. p. Discussion Papers, Spatial Organization and Regional Development
219 
are related to Medical Academies in Krak6w, which 
serves 8 voivodships and Warsaw and Poznan  -  6  voi-
vodships each; while the smallest areas are con-
nected with Medical Academies of Bydgoszcz, Katowice, 
Szczecin, and Gdansk. 
Medical research institutes are designed to 
carry out studies, render specialist services, 
whether ambulatory or hospitals, organize post-
graduate training, and supervise medical quality. 
The areas of their activity cover in practice the 
territory of the whole country.