Polish doctors' payroll scandal uncovers record invoices and massive overbilling

Investigations in Poland have exposed a payroll scandal involving physicians receiving unusually high payments. In the Specialist Hospital in Ciechanów, an orthopaedic surgeon issued invoices of 316,000 zł and 258,000 zł for January and February 2025, respectively, after performing roughly 90 complex surgeries each month at an average fee of about 3,000 zł per operation. The doctor, who worked under a contract rather than a standard employment agreement, had his contract terminated at the end of 2024.

A separate audit of the County Medical Centre in Braniewo revealed a doctor who claimed work periods of up to 72 hours per day, reporting 11,577 hours for 2024 – far exceeding the calendar year’s 8,760 hours. The doctor’s reported earnings reached 1.8 million zł annually, contributing to estimated losses of nearly 3.8 million zł over three years. The findings triggered a criminal investigation by the Elbląg prosecutor’s office and led to the termination of the offending physician in July 2025. Following the audit, the hospital’s finances stabilized, reporting a net profit of about 2.5 million zł for 2025 without public funds.