Hospital officials in Poland say a dispute between anaesthetists and the government over changes to the way health care is funded could pose a serious threat to the country's medical system.

The doctors' union says two-thirds of anaesthetists didn't go to work today -- a figure described as exaggerated by the government.

Non-urgent operations had to be cancelled in many hospitals.

The BBC correspondent in Warsaw says the dispute is an important test for the government, as the anaesthetists are unlikely to be the last group of public sector workers to protest against reforms designed to prepare the country for entry to the European Union.