South Hospital (Warsaw) scandal triggers resignations and board overhaul

Doctor Dawid Kacprzyk, coordinator of the emergency department at Warsaw’s South Hospital and a Koalicja Obywatelska (KO) councilor, earned about 1.6 million zł in 2025 while still completing his anaesthesiology specialization. Investigations revealed that KO politicians and their families received preferential, queue‑bypassing treatment in the hospital’s “VIP salon”.

Following media exposure, Kacprzyk resigned from the hospital, returned 500 thousand zł to the institution and left KO. The city mayor Rafał Trzaskowski dismissed the hospital’s management and supervisory board, appointing a new, politically neutral board. Audits by the Warsaw city administration, the National Health Fund and the State Labour Inspectorate, as well as a prosecutor’s inquiry, are underway.

Former surgical department chief Emil Jędrzejewski, who disclosed the irregularities, later entered a dispute with the hospital over alleged unpaid wages and claimed he sought a free plot of land for a private clinic involving footballer Robert Lewandowski. The hospital faces a massive debt, with irregularities exceeding 500 thousand zł.

Minister of Finance Andrzej Domański denied accusations of receiving preferential care, promising legal action against the claims. The fallout has also impacted KO, prompting internal criticism and raising questions about former senator Stanisław Karczewski’s past hospital duties. The scandal continues to dominate national political debate.