Suwałki hospice consolidation sparks political dispute

A political dispute has emerged in the Podlaskie Voivodeship regarding the planned consolidation of the Jan Paweł II Palliative Care Center with the Provincial Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Suwałki. Regional authorities are promoting the merger as a way to improve organizational efficiency.

However, Law and Justice (PiS) politicians, including former Marshal Artur Kosicki, have criticized the move, describing it as a “political attack” on the hospice’s reserves. Critics point out that the hospice ended 2025 with a net profit of approximately 5 million PLN and total equity of 28 million PLN, while the Suwałki Provincial Hospital faces debts exceeding 117 million PLN. Opponents argue the consolidation is an attempt to use the hospice’s stable finances to cover the hospital’s budget deficit.