Warsaw’s South Hospital scandal triggers probes and political fallout

The Warsaw South Hospital (Szpital Południowy) returned half a million zlotys to former KO councilor and emergency‑room coordinator Dawid Kacprzyk after the doctor admitted the funds could not be properly recorded. Prosecutors opened two investigations: one for fraud involving falsified invoices amounting to 558 558.70 zł, and a second for abuse of authority concerning improper oversight of the hospital’s SOR unit, contracts and triage procedures. The case has led to more than 50 recorded witness statements, including hospital management, city‑hall officials and members of the National Health Fund.

Kacprzyk, who earned 1.6 million zł in 2025 while completing an anesthesiology residency, resigned from the Civic Coalition and surrendered his parliamentary mandate. The controversy revealed a “VIP salon” that allowed KO politicians and their families to bypass queues for specialist care. In response, Warsaw’s mayor dismissed the hospital board and appointed a new supervisory council, naming Aneta Gomółka‑Siembora as the hospital’s president.

Opposition Law‑and‑Justice (PiS) lawmakers conducted a parliamentary control visit, demanding answers about the alleged return of the half‑million to Kacprzyk and urging the introduction of transparent e‑records of doctors’ working hours and contracts. The government has meanwhile fast‑tracked legislation that will make public‑sector medical contracts visible in the Central Contract Register from 1 July, and an agency will collect data on doctors’ earnings by PESEL.

The scandal has sparked a broader public debate on physicians’ salaries. Economic expert Marek Zuber noted that Polish doctors now earn comparable amounts to Austrian or German peers only by holding multiple contracts, while an Onet‑commissioned poll showed a majority of Poles support publishing all publicly funded medical contracts and limiting private practice for hospital doctors.