A large majority (71 percent) believe that the government’s plan to privatise the health sector in Poland requires a nation-wide referendum, a poll by GfK Polonia pollster reveals.

The debate on a referendum on health care privatisation was started by President Lech Kaczynski, who believes that the bills prepared by the government reforming the Polish health care system would lead to their effective privatisation.

In the meantime, the ruling Civic Platform (PO) is searching for allies to help it overthrow a threatened presidential veto if the bill passes through parliament. The Rzeczpospolita daily reports that the government is currently holding negotiations with the leftist opposition party, the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD). (jm)