Whistleblower surgeon fired after warning Warsaw mayor Trzaskowski about VIP fast-track and unqualified ER chief
Evidence surfaced Friday that Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski and interior minister Marcin Kierwiński had been warned in mid-2025 about irregularities at the city-owned South Hospital, including a VIP fast-track for politicians and an unqualified doctor running the emergency department. The whistleblower surgeon was dismissed two months later; the prosecutor general has now opened an investigation.
The scandal at Warsaw's South Hospital
The case revolves around Dawid Kacprzyk, a 28-year-old doctor without full specialization who became the emergency department coordinator at the municipally-owned South Hospital. In 2025 alone he earned 1.6 million złoty from public health facilities. Investigative outlet Zero.pl also revealed the hospital ran a "fast track" admission pathway and a VIP lounge for Civic Coalition (KO) politicians and their families.
Whistleblower’s warnings to Trzaskowski
In June 2025 the head of surgery alerted the hospital's board and supervisory board about irregularities. In July he contacted Trzaskowski via internet messenger asking for a meeting; Trzaskowski replied asking for written information. On 19 July 2025 the surgeon sent a detailed letter stating Kacprzyk managed the ER without proper qualifications and performed procedures he was not authorised to do, often without supervision. Two months later, in September 2025, the surgeon was dismissed, officially for delayed NHF reports, patient complaints about surgical scheduling and a lost patient deposit.
Private message is not a channel for reporting irregularities in a municipal institution.
Kierwiński also allegedly informed
TV Republika reported that a different doctor contacted Marcin Kierwiński, the interior minister and Warsaw KO leader, between May and July 2025. The physician asked for intervention over Kacprzyk and the chaotic relocation of surgical wards carried out in a single day without preparation. Kierwiński initially promised to visit the hospital but ultimately avoided a meeting, citing schedule conflicts; SMS exchanges from May 2025 corroborate the contacts.
They catch you with the hospital, say it's not your hospital. They catch you with a councillor, say it's not your councillor. But when they caught him with his phone, suddenly it turns out he didn't read the message.
Political fallout and investigation
On Friday 20 June the hospital's supervisory board was dismissed. Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek announced the prosecutor's office would demand all documents and question witnesses. PiS politicians filed a criminal notification alleging Trzaskowski failed to act. The left-wing Razem party, led by Adrian Zandberg, demanded Kierwiński's resignation. Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced a Supreme Audit Office review and attempted to frame the issue as systemic.
- Doctor contacts Marcin Kierwiński requesting intervention; SMS exchanges confirm repeated appeals.
- Surgery department head alerts hospital board and supervisory board about Dawid Kacprzyk and irregularities.
- Surgeon sends written warning to Rafał Trzaskowski detailing Kacprzyk’s lack of qualifications and unsafe practices.
- Whistleblower surgeon fired, officially for delayed NHF reports, patient complaints and a lost deposit.
- Hospital management board dismissed by Mayor Trzaskowski.
- Supervisory board dismissed; Prosecutor General Żurek announces full investigation.
Trzaskowski’s defence
Trzaskowski wrote on social media that he had not read the private message, insisting that only formal channels could be treated as genuine reports. "It is not true that I knew about the irregularities since 19 July 2025. The fact that someone sent a message on an internet messenger amid a flood of hundreds of unread messages is not equivalent to it being read by the addressee," he stated. Journalists noted, however, that Trzaskowski had replied to the initial message requesting written information, indicating he had indeed read it.
