Warsaw hospital whistleblower claims patients died after botched procedures, Trzaskowski calls for probe
A former head of surgery at Szpital Południowy has publicly accused a young doctor of fatal medical errors, prompting the city mayor to ask prosecutors to intervene.
A scandal at Warsaw's municipally run Szpital Południowy intensified on 23 June 2026 after a former department head gave a televised interview detailing what he described as fatal mistakes and systematic document forgery. Dr Emil Jędrzejewski, the hospital's ex‑chief of surgery, told Kanał Zero that errors committed by a 28‑year‑old colleague who had served as emergency‑department coordinator resulted in patient deaths. "There were people dying because someone was learning," he said. "That is the core of this whole mess."
Whistleblower speaks out
Jędrzejewski, who had earlier alerted Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski to irregularities at the hospital, was dismissed two months after flagging concerns. He described incidents in which patients left unattended in the emergency ward were found dead hours later, and a post‑mortem CT scan was ordered to make the documentation consistent. "After three or four hours someone remembers the patient and finds them dead. For some reason a CT scan is performed on a dead person, just to fabricate the paperwork," he said. The physician added that "the entire hospital knew about it and nobody did anything."
Mayor and prosecutors respond
Late on 23 June, Trzaskowski announced on social platform X that he would ask Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek to urgently open an investigation into the allegations made in the Kanał Zero interview. Two criminal probes had already been launched a day earlier: one into fraud exceeding half a million złoty and another into abuse of power by a public official. Żurek said prosecutors would also examine whether the mayor had been aware of the problems earlier.
The central figure
At the heart of the affair is Dawid Kacprzyk, a doctor without a finished specialisation who worked as coordinator of the hospital's emergency department and at one point sat on a district council for the Civic Coalition (KO). The controversy ignited after portal Zero.pl reported that Kacprzyk earned 1.6 million zł in 2025, working an average of 331 hours a month. After the revelations, he resigned his KO membership and council seat, returned 500 000 zł to the hospital that could not be properly accounted for, and ended his employment there.
VIP room and systemic failures
Jędrzejewski confirmed the existence of a "VIP lounge" where politicians from KO were allegedly seen without queuing, though he never visited it himself. He dismissed that aspect as minor compared to the medical issues he witnessed. The hospital is wholly owned by the City of Warsaw. In response to the growing fallout, Trzaskowski sacked both the hospital's management board and its supervisory council, appointing Aneta Gomółka‑Siembora as the new board president.
Ten salonik VIP to nic. Jeśli kogoś przeniesie się do świata, który funkcjonował tam, to są rzeczy nieprawdopodobne.
- Portal Zero.pl reports on Dawid Kacprzyk’s earnings and VIP treatment for KO politicians.
- Two criminal investigations opened into fraud and abuse of power at the hospital.
- Dr Emil Jędrzejewski gives Kanał Zero interview alleging fatal medical errors and cover‑ups.
- Mayor Trzaskowski announces he will request a prosecutor probe into the interview’s claims.
Broader political reaction
The interview drew sharp commentary from opposition figures. Former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki compared the case to past media raids, and MP Jacek Sasin wrote of a "wall of silence" and "the moral bottom of Donald Tusk's team." Zero.pl journalist Patryk Słowik noted that the allegations are of such magnitude that prosecutors should secure all evidence immediately.
