Court declares bankruptcy of Miastko Municipal Hospital over mounting debts and billing fraud

Court ruling and administrative steps

The Commercial Division of the Gdańsk-Północ District Court issued a bankruptcy ruling for the Municipal Hospital in Miastko during a closed session on 30 September. The court appointed restructuring advisor Dominika Bączek as the bankruptcy trustee, following her prior role as temporary court supervisor. Bączek had submitted her formal assessment report to the judiciary on 21 September. Official notification of the court order appeared in the National Debtors Register (Krajowy Rejestr Zadłużonych). Creditors holding claims against the municipal healthcare facility must register them with the trustee by 30 October. In addition, domestic creditors have an initial window until 7 October to lodge formal appeals against the bankruptcy declaration.

Financial collapse and municipal ownership

The formal insolvency petition was submitted on 18 August by Jerzy Wójtowicz, the mayor of Miastko, which serves as the sole municipal owner of the facility. The hospital had already suspended most medical treatment at the beginning of August, leading to the statutory expiration of its operational contracts with the National Health Fund (NFZ). Total liabilities accumulated over several years are estimated to exceed 40 million PLN, with unofficial estimates cited by local media reaching past 50 million PLN, while total facility assets stand at approximately 20 million PLN. The municipality faces nearly 300 separate creditors and lacks the fiscal resources to maintain bailouts. Wójtowicz framed the bankruptcy filing as an unavoidable step to stabilize the municipal healthcare landscape.

Only such a solution provides an opportunity to organize the situation and create conditions for maintaining continuity in providing services to residents.

Billing irregularities and criminal investigation

The hospital's fiscal insolvency accelerated following a 13.2 million PLN financial penalty imposed by the National Health Fund for irregular billing practices between 2024–2025. An official audit discovered that an external neurosurgical company, Spine, submitted invoices of up to 300,000 PLN per day while reporting as many as 77 thermolesion procedures in a single 24-hour window. Minor outpatient pain interventions lasting several minutes under local anesthesia, valued by the state insurer at approximately 1,500 PLN, were recorded in hospital documentation as complex inpatient neurosurgical surgeries reimbursable at over 6,500 PLN. The disputed billing records encompass as many as 2,500 procedures. The Regional Prosecutor's Office in Słupsk is conducting a criminal investigation into the scheme.

Impact on staff and patient transfers

Prior to the bankruptcy filing, both the management board president and the supervisory board stepped down from their positions. Staff members have experienced wage arrears for more than three months, and outstanding payroll obligations are slated for settlement through the state Guaranteed Employee Benefits Fund. Group redundancy procedures will affect approximately 180 contract employees, leaving only the long-term Care and Treatment Facility (ZOL) functional on site. Local authorities have rerouted patients requiring inpatient medical care to regional hospitals across Pomerania.