Night Doctor or ER in Poland: NiŚOZ vs SOR Explained
Short answer: Night and holiday care runs 18:00-8:00 on weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays, with no referral. Emergencies go to a SOR or call 112 or 999.
It is 11 pm, your child has a fever, or you twisted your ankle on a Saturday. In Poland your regular clinic is closed, and the question is where to go. The country has three levels: night and holiday care for ordinary illness, the hospital emergency department (SOR) for emergencies, and an ambulance for life-threatening cases. This guide uses the Patient Rights Ombudsman (Rzecznik Praw Pacjenta) page on gov.pl, the National Health Fund (NFZ) emergency care page and the NFZ helpline information, read in October 2026. It does not give medical advice. If you think a life is in danger, call 112 or 999.
Night and holiday care (NiŚOZ)
NiŚOZ stands for nocna i świąteczna opieka zdrowotna. According to the NFZ, it provides primary care services:
- from Monday to Friday, from 18:00 to 8:00 the next day, and
- around the clock on days that are legally free from work, so weekends and public holidays.
The Ombudsman describes it as help for a sudden illness or a sudden worsening of your condition, when you cannot see your primary care doctor. It is not for a state of sudden health threat. The NFZ says the doctor can give advice in an outpatient setting, at the patient's home in medically justified cases, and by phone.
The NFZ lists the situations where you can use it: a sudden illness, a sudden worsening of health with no signs of an immediate threat to life or serious harm, when home remedies or over-the-counter medicines did not help, and when waiting for the clinic to open could significantly harm your health.
Key points
- No referral and no booking are needed, according to the NFZ and the Ombudsman.
- No local registration: you can go to any NiŚOZ point, regardless of where you live and which primary care doctor you are registered with.
- You need to be insured in the NFZ system, according to the Ombudsman, which says that every insured patient should get medical help.
- Only primary care services are given. Do not expect a specialist.
The emergency department (SOR) and admissions room
The Ombudsman says that a SOR is a separate unit of a hospital that gives care to people in a state of sudden health threat. Examples it gives: a seizure, sudden severe abdominal pain, gastrointestinal bleeding, severe bleeding from the genital or urinary tract, an injury or poisoning. The NFZ also mentions accidents. Two rules matter:
- Everyone who arrives must be accepted. It does not matter whether you come alone or by ambulance. The hospital cannot refuse help to a person who needs immediate care because of a threat to life or health.
- The order is by condition, not by arrival. Medical staff assess your state, and the queue depends on it.
The Ombudsman adds that a SOR visit does not replace your family doctor or a specialist clinic. The SOR does a first diagnosis and the treatment needed to stabilise vital functions, and then discharges you or moves you to the right hospital ward. No referral is needed there, and your place of residence does not matter.
An ambulance
For an immediate threat to life or health, the NFZ says to call 112 or 999 and call a medical rescue team. Our guide to emergency numbers in Poland explains how the calls work.
What you can and cannot get
The Ombudsman explains what to expect after a visit to the SOR or NiŚOZ:
- The doctor decides whether you need sick leave (L4) or a referral for tests or to a specialist. A doctor who is authorised by ZUS and sees reasons for sick leave has to issue it, and sending you back to your family doctor for it is improper.
- Follow-up visits for treatment that began earlier are not done there.
- Without medical grounds, you will not get a referral to a specialist or a routine health certificate.
- You will not get a prescription for medicines you take regularly for a chronic condition.
For routine matters, see our guide on seeing a doctor through POZ and NFZ. For medicines and duty chemists, see pharmacies in Poland.
How to find the nearest point
- Helpline of the NFZ: 800 190 590. The free line works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, according to the NFZ. The gov.pl page on this line says its consultants tell you about night and holiday care, the nearest SOR and a pharmacy that has the medicine you need. They do not give medical advice. From abroad, the page lists +48 22 125 66 00, which is a paid call.
- NFZ website: the regional branches list the NiŚOZ points, SORs and admissions rooms.
- A note on a service that no longer exists: the First Contact Teleplatform (TPK) was a phone service from the pandemic. The Ministry of Health says its contract ended on 15 December 2023, so ignore older guides that still list it.
For expats
Go to the NiŚOZ if you are insured, and ask for the NFZ helpline if you are unsure. Dental pain, according to an NFZ notice, has its own duty dentist service for emergencies. If you are not covered by NFZ, see health insurance for foreigners.
Frequently asked questions
What are the hours of night and holiday care?
Monday to Friday 18:00 to 8:00, and all day on weekends and public holidays, according to the NFZ.
Do I need a referral?
No. Neither the NiŚOZ nor the SOR needs a referral or a booking.
Can I go to any point, or only the one near my clinic?
Any point in the country, according to the NFZ and the Ombudsman.
Who calls the ambulance?
Anyone, at 112 or 999, in a direct threat to life or health.
