Warsaw Mayor Trzaskowski Faces South Hospital Scandal and Calls for Resignations

During an extraordinary Warsaw City Council session on 6 July, Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski addressed the controversy surrounding the South Hospital. He said the scandal would not be repeated, noted that a municipal audit of the hospital is due by the end of July, and highlighted that two deputy mayors – Renata Kaznowska and Aldona Machnowska‑Góra – have resigned. Trzaskowski also dismissed the hospital’s supervisory board and management.

The scandal involves alleged misconduct in the hospital’s morgue, including promotion of a funeral‑service company, publishing images of corpses on social media, renting the morgue as a film set and illegal sale of bodies. Separate allegations concern the dismissal of a whistle‑blower from the City Roads Department (ZDM) despite Trzaskowski’s written guarantee of protection.

Opposition councillors demanded the resignation of deputy president Tomasz Mencina, who oversaw the hospital board and the Roads Department. A public opinion poll commissioned by United Surveys for Wirtualna Polska found that 51.2 % of Warsaw residents think Trzaskowski should resign, with 38.1 % strongly supporting resignation and 13.1 % leaning toward it. The poll showed stark partisan splits, with opposition voters overwhelmingly favoring his departure.