New minister to tackle Poland's healthcare crisis

Doctors in Poland have welcomed the appointment on 15 July of Marek Balicki as the new health minister after the surprise resignation of his predecessor, Marian Czakanski, who had been in office for only one month.

Mr Balicki, a Social Democrat who briefly served as health minister at the beginning of 2003, faces an uphill task to win support for new legislation to reform the country's health service from the country's fragmented parliament by August.

“I think that Marek Balicki offers a ray of hope, …