Poland's President Nawrocki sends anti-quackery bill to tribunal and proposes prison terms

Constitutional referral and presidential veto

On 20 August 2026, President Karol Nawrocki declined to sign the government's amendment to the Patient Rights and Patient Ombudsman Act, commonly referred to as "lex szarlatan", sending the legislation to the Constitutional Tribunal under preventive control. Nawrocki argued that while the statutory objective of protecting patients from fraudulent treatments is sound, the legal mechanisms create substantial constitutional risks. In his formal justification, he stated that the bill grouped fraudulent practitioners together with thousands of legitimate businesses operating in herbal medicine, healthy nutrition, and complementary therapies. He also expressed concern that administrative penalties could bankrupt companies before judicial review takes place, noting that the draft lacked mandatory participation by independent medical experts.

The goal of this act is right, but the proposed measures may prove to be a problem, as pointed out by many patient organizations, employers, and associations.

Provisions of the stalled government legislation

The draft legislation prepared by the Ministry of Health and Patient Ombudsman Bartłomiej Chmielowiec aimed to prohibit unverified medical practices, particularly in oncology, pediatrics, severe incurable conditions, and psychiatric care. Under its provisions, the Patient Ombudsman gained authority to issue public warnings and impose immediate cease-and-desist orders against practitioners falsely presenting non-medical procedures as health services. The statute also established administrative fines of up to 1,000,000 PLN for infringing collective patient rights and up to 100,000 PLN for refusing to cooperate with regulatory proceedings. Medical groups and patient advocates had lobbied for its passage, emphasizing the need to prevent vulnerable patients from abandoning conventional therapy for unproven methods such as high-dose vitamin C.

Alternative Penal Code proposal

During a press briefing with health adviser Piotr Czauderna, presidential spokesperson Rafał Leśkiewicz presented Nawrocki's alternative legislative initiative amending the Penal Code. The presidential bill introduces a specific criminal offense for persuading patients to abandon prescribed medical treatments or adopt dangerous practices, punishable by up to three years in prison. Penalties increase to five years if a patient abandons treatment, up to 10 years if the intervention causes severe bodily harm, and between two and 15 years if the patient dies. Leśkiewicz explained that the initiative ensures cases are decided by courts rather than administrative officials, while granting the Patient Ombudsman standing to participate in prosecution and trial procedures.

It excludes the penalization of opinions, excludes the penalization of conducting scientific debate, because that is the essence of a democratic state ruled by law.

Political and medical reactions

The decision drew immediate criticism from government officials and medical professionals. Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticized the move publicly on social media, asserting that the president had chosen to side with medical fraudsters rather than patients. Virologist Agnieszka Szuster-Ciesielska pointed out that the tribunal review delays administrative enforcement indefinitely, leaving the Patient Ombudsman without immediate tools to halt dangerous commercial therapies. During the briefing, Leśkiewicz also addressed controversy surrounding a recent petition visit to the Presidential Palace by alternative therapy promoter Jerzy Zięba, describing the meeting as a mistake that did not affect the president's decision.

Instead of siding with the sick, he sided with the quacks.