The changing geography of morbidity and mortality in post-communist Poland

In general, the health of Poles improved markedly in the thirty years after the Second World War, but there was some deterioration after 1989 before improvement resumed. Only in the case of cancer is there an upward trend and so Poles are now healthier than they have been at any time in the past. However there are sharp regional variations well exemplified by the incidence of tuberculosis, where there appears to be some correlation with poorer housing and atmospheric pollution. High death rates in Lodz (consistently the highest in the country at the voivodship level between 1989 and 1996), may also be linked with environmental pollution as well as the ageing of the population. Variations between town and country are small, but Poland shows up in a poor light when compared with other European countries. These are important issues for the administration and financing of the welfare services. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.