In brief

• The emergency department in Zakopane admitted 21,418 patients in 2025, up from 20,076 in 2024.
• Residents of Tatra County made up 47.22 percent of patients in 2025, down from 47.6 percent a year earlier.
• Most patients are visitors, and the winter ski season puts the most pressure on the unit.

Patient numbers keep climbing

The emergency department (SOR) at the Dr. Tytus Chałubiński County Hospital in Zakopane received 21,418 patients in 2025, according to figures published by the hospital (SOR w Zakopanem przyjął ponad 21 tysięcy osób. Większość to przyjezdni – com.pl) (Pół tony gipsu podczas ferii. SOR w Zakopanem bije kolejne rekordy przyjęć – Bankier.pl). The year before, the unit took in 20,076 people, an increase of 1,342 patients, or roughly 6.7 percent (Turyści stanowią większość pacjentów SOR-u w Zakopanem. Pół tony gipsu tylko w ferie – wp.pl).

Visitors outnumber locals

Residents of Tatra County accounted for 47.22 percent of all patients in 2025, the hospital reported (Zakopane: turyści stanowią większość pacjentów oddziału ratunkowego. Ponad 21 tys. – infodent24.pl). In 2024 their share was 47.6 percent. The remaining patients came from outside the county, mostly tourists spending time in the Tatra Mountains and the Podhale region.

Winter season under pressure

Hospital officials say the unit works in unusually demanding conditions, particularly during the winter ski season (Lawina turystów na SOR-ze w Zakopanem. „Szczególnie wymagający jest sezon zimowy” – Podróże Wprost). Staff have noted that in previous years the department used about half a tonne of plaster during the winter school holidays alone. Among the visitors are people with a range of medical conditions, from minor injuries on the slopes to more serious cases.

Who is treated and what comes next

The emergency department accepts anyone who needs urgent care, regardless of where they live, so visitors are treated on the same basis as residents. The hospital has not announced changes to staffing or funding linked to the figures.