Former Rzeszów hospital director charged with fraud and patient endangerment

Dr. Janusz Ł., the former director of the Fryderyk Chopin University Clinical Hospital in Rzeszów, has been indicted by the Katowice District Prosecutor's Office. He faces charges of defrauding the National Health Fund (NFZ) of more than 1.3 million PLN through the improper billing of urological procedures performed using the Da Vinci robot.

Investigations revealed that between January 2023 and March 2024, the hospital submitted claims for procedures that did not meet the criteria for NFZ funding. In addition to financial fraud, the defendant is accused of falsifying medical documentation and endangering the health of three patients. According to expert opinions, these actions placed all three patients at direct risk of serious bodily harm, with one patient suffering actual significant injury.

Dr. Janusz Ł., who also served as the head of the urology clinic and a Da Vinci robot operator, has not pleaded guilty. The prosecutor's office has suspended his medical license and applied a financial guarantee. The indictment has been forwarded to the District Court in Rzeszów, where he faces a potential prison sentence of one to 10 years.