Polish doctor‑politician Dawid Kacprzyk’s million‑zloty earnings spark health‑politics scandal

28‑year‑old physician Dawid Kacprzyk, a member of the Civic Coalition and district councilor in Warsaw’s Ursus, earned 1.6 million zł in 2025 while working at the South Warsaw Hospital. Hospital records show he logged 3 976 hours at a single facility that year – an average of 331 hours per month, including a 96‑hour uninterrupted shift – while simultaneously holding political duties, appearing on TV and attending party meetings.

Investigations revealed a VIP room in the hospital’s emergency department that provided rapid, often unnecessary, medical examinations for politicians and their families, while ordinary patients faced waiting times of several hours to weeks. Medical experts warned that such extreme workloads jeopardise patient safety.

The Patient Rights Ombudsman has called for a systemic review of doctors’ remuneration, urging the Supreme Audit Office to examine high salaries and B2B contracts in the health sector. He highlighted that some physicians work nearly 4 000 hours annually, a level deemed unsafe for patients, and urged reforms to ensure balanced compensation and safe staffing levels.