To make an appointment with a general practitioner or get a consultation with a specialist doctor, choose a clinic (przychodnia) and register.
For this you will need the following documents: 
- dowód osobisty (passport or residence card);
- confirmation of contributions to the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS). This document is issued by the employer if the contributions are made by the spouse, then by the employer of the wife or husband.
- PESEL (they may only ask for the number).
If you want to register with a private clinic, make sure that the clinic cooperates with the NFZ (Polish Health Fund). Only under this condition will you have access to free medical services. Otherwise, you will have to buy private insurance. To be served in the selected clinic, you will be asked to conclude a contract for the provision of services. If the patient is not satisfied with the quality of medical services in the selected clinic, he has the right to terminate the contract and choose another medical institution.
Popular networks of private clinics in Poland are Luxmed and Medicover.
Please note that some doctors require a referral from a general practitioner (in Polish: internista).
You can make an appointment on your own only with a gynecologist, dentist, dermatologist, ophthalmologist, psychiatrist, oncologist, venereologist.
Unfortunately, Poland has an acute shortage of medical workers and, as a result, long queues to see doctors. We recommend making an appointment with a doctor in advance.
So, you came to the doctor:
• Dzień dobry, co Pana/Panią do mnie sprowadza? - Good afternoon! What brings you to me?
or Czy występują jakieś objawy choroby, które Pan/i zauważył/a? — Have you noticed any symptoms of the disease?
Here we should tell what happened:
I have a headache/throat/stomach ache - Boli mnie głowa/gardło/brzuch.
Or you (Ja mam)
- temperature - gorączkę, temperaturę
- chills — dreszcze
- diarrhea
- vomiting — wymioty
- rash — wysypka
You may also hear questions like:
- Czy ma pan/pani choroby przewlekłe? — Do you have any chronic diseases?
- Czy jest pan/pani na coś uczulony/uczulona? — Are you allergic to anything?
- Czy zażywa pan/pani jakieś leki na stałe? — Do you take any medications on a regular basis?
By the way, in Poland most medicines are dispensed in pharmacies only with a prescription. In clinics, a therapist often writes an electronic prescription. The patient receives an SMS message with a code. You choose a pharmacy that accepts electronic prescriptions. Then you tell the pharmacist the PESEL number and the code, and buy the medicine.
If you have a chronic disease and make monthly contributions to ZUS, you can get the necessary medications at a discount. These medications are available at the pharmacy with a prescription.
Finally, we will clarify what medical institutions you will encounter in Poland:
- hospitals (szpital)
- polyclinics
- private offices
- medical diagnostic laboratories (Laboratorium diagnostyki medycznej). Here they conduct research and analyses based on a doctor's referral.
- medical rehabilitation clinics
- dental clinics, etc.
Be healthy!
