Bailiff Seizes Accounts of Częstochowa Hospital Over AstraZeneca Debt Amid KPO Project Dispute

On Tuesday, August 4, the Polish Press Agency reported that a bailiff seized bank accounts belonging to a hospital in Częstochowa, prompting sharp condemnation from the regional marshal and facility officials.

Bailiff Seizes Hospital Accounts Over AstraZeneca Debt

On Tuesday, August 4, the Polish Press Agency reported on the seizure of a Częstochowa hospital account used to handle projects financed by the National Recovery Plan (KPO). The Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship, which oversees the facility, demanded an exemption from enforcement, and the hospital addressed the matter on Wednesday.

Angelika Kawecka, spokeswoman for the Voivodeship Specialist Hospital named after the Blessed Virgin Mary in Częstochowa, stated that the facility’s difficult financial situation is not new and that ongoing enforcement proceedings are communicated to the public regularly, including during a media meeting in March of this year. She admitted that the seizure of the investment account designated for KPO-financed projects is an unprecedented action that has never happened before.

Hospital Condemns Intervention in Development Funds

Kawecka stated that in practice, this is an interference in funds intended to enable the hospital’s development, improve treatment conditions, implement modern medical solutions, and raise the quality and availability of health services. She asserted that it is difficult to accept a situation where public funds for healthcare development and patient safety and comfort are subjected to enforcement actions.

She added that the hospital will firmly and consistently take all available legal steps to protect these funds and ensure the uninterrupted implementation of investments financed by the KPO.

Specifics of the Seized Accounts and Legal Action

Kawecka specified that two accounts were seized within a two-day interval by a bailiff in Częstochowa under enforcement proceedings initiated at the request of a creditor, the Hungarian branch of AstraZeneca based in Budapest. On July 14, the “Investment” bank account was seized, which held funds provided by the founding entity—the Marshal’s Office—with a purpose specified in co-financing agreements.

In the assessment of the hospital and the voivodeship marshal, funds from this account should not be subject to bailiff enforcement due to their targeted nature. Wojciech Saługa argued in letters to the bailiff and the bank that, in accordance with Article 831 of the Code of Civil Procedure, sums granted for special purposes are not subject to enforcement, and the hospital filed a complaint against the bailiff. Kawecka reported that the hospital was awarded funds for a new IT system and the comprehensive modernization of the Clinical Cardiology Department, totaling PLN 33 million, with both ventures nearing completion.

Current Operations and Financial Standing

Subsequently, on July 16, the bailiff seized the auxiliary current bank account intended for funds received from the National Health Fund (NFZ) for performed services toward current operations, including salaries. The total amount covered by the enforcement proceeding reached PLN 3,314,872.86.

Kawecka assured that the current situation does not affect the ongoing functioning of the hospital, as all departments and units operate uninterruptedly and patients are guaranteed access to health services. The hospital unfailingly strives to provide residents of the region with top-tier medical care and consistently develop infrastructure and raise the quality of provided services.

The Częstochowa hospital’s loss for 2025 amounted to PLN 85 million, with enforceable liabilities reaching PLN 170 million, while the loss for the first five months of this year was nearly PLN 42 million. The facility must present a recovery plan by August 15.