Sickness absence in 2019-2020 and the activities of the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) to prevent incapacity for work

Abstract

Sickness absence is an important measure of the current situation on the labor market and a source of information on the health condition of the working part of the society. It is also a phenomenon that directly affects the economy. Monitoring the size and causes of sickness absence enables the adjustment of the social and health policy in the country. In Poland, sickness absence is most often analyzed in the context of people receiving sickness allowance - a benefit from the social security system granted to insured persons in the event of incapacity to work due to illness. In 2020, there were noticed over 256 million days of sickness absence, of which the largest part (45 million days) were due to conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium. In turn, COVID-19 was responsible for almost 5 million days of sickness absence, of which 179 thousand days is the period of hospitalizations.

In order to prevent permanent incapacity to work, the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) runs a program of comprehensive therapeutic rehabilitation for insured persons with: diseases of motor organs (also after accidents), cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, psychosomatic diseases, oncological diseases after treatment of breast cancer and voice organ' cancer.