Warsaw hospital engulfed in multi-faceted scandal over VIP care, body trade, and high doctor pay

Unfolding scandal

On 10 June 2026, journalist Patryk Słowik disclosed that 28-year-old doctor Dawid Kacprzyk, a Civic Coalition district councillor, reported 1.6 mln zł income for 2025, despite lacking a medical specialization and logging 3,976 hours at the hospital's emergency department alone. Documents showed he could not have physically worked all declared shifts. Kacprzyk also served as the SOR coordinator and was accused of running a "VIP salon" where KO politicians received priority treatment.

Medical errors and testimony

Former head of surgery Emil Jędrzejewski alleged that medical mistakes under Kacprzyk's watch led to patient deaths. He gave a 10-hour testimony to prosecutors on 29 June. Kacprzyk resigned his council seat and party membership on 15 June and was later dismissed from the hospital. He failed to appear before the Warsaw Medical Chamber, losing his seat on its council.

Mortuary body trade allegations

On 2 July, reports surfaced that mortuary coordinator Artur Habowski ran an illegal system directing grieving families to specific funeral homes in exchange for payments, and allegedly charged for body releases. Habowski was dismissed the same day, and prosecutors launched an inquiry into managerial bribery and desecration of corpses.

Political defiance

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński, who heads Warsaw's KO structures, refused to resign, calling opposition demands "a PiS proxy's call." He denied promoting Kacprzyk's career, insisting no party member knew about the mortuary scheme.

This matter is outrageous, there is no doubt about it. It must be thoroughly investigated. But I leave this matter to the prosecutor's office.

PiS MP Jarosław Krajewski countered,

All signs point to the fact that it could not have happened without political support for Mr. Dawid Kacprzyk from the most important politicians of the Civic Coalition.

Public backlash

A SW Research poll conducted on 1 July among 832 adults found 42.9% rated the government's response negatively, 25.8% positively, while 20.6% had no opinion and 10.7% were unaware of the affair. The health minister has remained largely absent, and the government has promised systemic changes without announcing specific personnel consequences.