Trade unionists from the health care industry will protest in Warsaw today.

Under banners reading "Defending patients' rights, defending our rights" they will meet in front of the Parliament's building at 11.30 CET to, as they announced, fight for equal access to health care services and the rights of the sector's employees.

From there they will march towards the Prime Minister's Chancellery.

According to Maria Ochman from the Solidarity trade union, the voice of patients is currently not heard in this country.

“So far there has been no dialogue with this government. The only attempt was the media spectacle called the 'white summit'. When it debated, however, the government was introducing drafts of health care bills unfavourable to all sides and not offering any solution,” she told Polskie Radio.

Demonstrations at hospitals will also point to what they believe is a health service being starved of resources. "This is a day of solidarity with the sick and we will stay at their beds," said Dorota Gardias, the chairwoman of the National Trade Union of Polish Nurses.

Both the demonstration of the trade unionists and the actions of Polish nurses are to mark the World Health Day celebrated every year since 1948 on April 7 to commemorate the founding of the World Health Organization.

The global theme of this year's edition of the event is "Be part of a global movement to make cities healthier".

Data of the WHO shows that within the next thirty years the number of inhabitants of big city agglomerations will considerably increase creating new challenges to health care industry. (di)