Varsovie (AFP) - Thousands of doctors, nurses and hospital workers marched through central Warsaw Saturday demanding Poland's rightwing government spend more on public health, especially to hike notoriously low salaries.

"After six years of studies and a thirteen-month internship, I earn 2,200 zloty (510 euros, $580) per month," young doctor Bartlomiej Kolodziejczyk told AFP.

"It's impossible to raise a family on that."

Protesters say that to earn a decent salary many physicians work up to 80 hours per week, and the long hours lead to exhaustion and pose a health risk to staff and patients.

Protesters are demanding that Poland's populist Law and Justice (PiS) government immediately hike health spending to 6.8 percent of GDP as recommended by the World Health Organization. Poland currently spends 4.5 percent of GDP on health.

In July, the PiS administration triggered outrage among health workers when vowed it would meet the WHO target by 2025.

Speaking briefly at Saturday's rally, PiS Heatlh Minister Konstanty Radziwill blamed the previous liberal government for the woes of the medical sector and vowed to raise spending each year.

Faced with low wages at home, around 10 percent of young doctors choose to work abroad, mostly in Western Europe, according to Polish media.

An EU member of 38 million people, Poland has one of the lowest doctor-to-patient ratios in Europe.

Around 6,000 health workers took part in the demonstration, according to Warsaw city hall.