Polish medics strike for pay rise

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Doctors in Poland have started an indefinite general strike, demanding pay rises and reform of the nation's heavily-indebted public health system.

About a third of Poland's public hospitals are taking part in the strike, seeking a 100% pay increase.

In those hospitals, only emergency services are being provided.

The government has said the strikers' demands are unrealistic and would wreck its spending plans. Basic health care is free in Poland.

Brain drain

The doctors' trade union also wants quicker privatisation and the introduction of small fees for some services.

The government awarded doctors a 30% pay rise last year but salaries are still much less than in western Europe.

General practitioners earn as little as $400 (Â£200) a month.

More than 5% of the country's doctors have left to work abroad since Poland joined the European Union three years ago.

Many doctors work night shifts or in private clinics in addition to their regular hours just to earn a reasonable living.

At a news conference, Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said there would be no additional pay rises this year.

He said he is paid much less than his counterparts in western Europe too, but he is not complaining.