ER Audits in Warsaw Reveal 919,000 PLN Salaries and 312-Hour Shifts

The Warsaw City Hall has released official audit results for municipal hospital emergency rooms, exposing severe irregularities, documentation gaps, and continuous shifts lasting up to 110 hours.

Audit Findings in Municipal Emergency Rooms

The Warsaw City Hall published the official results of audits conducted at Hospital Emergency Rooms in municipal facilities. The inspections revealed a series of serious irregularities, documentation gaps, and cases of continuous shifts lasting dozens of hours—with a record reaching 110 hours without a break. Auditors had the most reservations regarding the operation of the South Hospital in Warsaw, where record earnings were also recorded.

The audits covered emergency rooms at the Bielański, Czerniakowski, Praski, Wolski, and South hospitals, as well as a clinic in Ursus where doctor Dawid Kacprzyk also worked.

South Hospital: 110 Hours of Continuous Work and Million-Zloty Salaries

The audit at the South Hospital revealed the most irregularities, prompting the city hall to issue 44 recommendations following the inspection, as Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski announced on Wednesday. He pointed to record shifts at this hospital lasting 48, 60, and 72 hours without a break, with the record reaching 110 hours, or five days.

In 2025, the highest salary for a doctor working in the South Hospital ER exceeded 837,000 PLN. Meanwhile, between January 2025 and the end of May 2026, the highest salary reached over 1 million PLN, and the second highest was nearly 919,000 PLN.

Auditors also noted eight shifts lacking documentation to confirm the presence of at least one system doctor, and weekday ER registration was sometimes staffed by one person instead of two.

The South Hospital audit shows that while Kacprzyk was the ER coordinator, 38 doctors worked there, and after his departure, the number dropped to 25.

It turned out that the position of ER coordinator did not exist at the South Hospital, although the facility paid for it for a year and a half. Additionally, the hourly rate paid to Kacprzyk increased from an initial 230 PLN per hour to 300 PLN, and finally 330 PLN. The audit clearly indicates that such a rate was not given to other significantly more experienced specialists.

The audit results stated that the hospital did not possess documentation confirming the reasons for granting such a rate and failed to demonstrate that its amount was established in a rational, transparent manner appropriate to the qualification and scope of responsibilities of the doctor.

The audit shows that the hospital had a valid contract with the doctor but still issued a new tender and gave him another contract with a higher rate without documentation explaining this decision.

On Wednesday, Trzaskowski reported that the same individual had another separate contract for 10,000 PLN per month for activities that partially overlapped with his shifts. Additionally, the ER coordinator had access to hospital security cameras, and the hospital kept no register of who had access to them or who and when used it.

Auditors also showed that this doctor performed health services in another medical entity during hours overlapping with his hospital shift (7 hours). Despite the hospital having an electronic entry and exit system, it was not utilized while paying for working hours. Invoices were confirmed based on schedules and statements.

It turned out that in addition to serving as the ER coordinator at the South Hospital, Kacprzyk was also the coordinator of practices and internships, as well as the coordinator of night and holiday medical care. Additionally, he worked at the clinic in Ursus. Auditors stated that ending a shift at the hospital and starting work at the clinic occurred consecutively without any time break.

Furthermore, the audit revealed numerous errors in the facility’s documentation.

Bielański Hospital: Non-Tender Contracts and Shifts Up to 48 Hours

At the Rev. Jerzy Popiełuszko Bielański Hospital SP ZOZ in Warsaw, controllers established, among other things, that doctors who did not submit documents required by tender conditions were allowed to provide services. Moreover, a significant percentage of the total number of contracts were concluded through non-tender procedures. The contracts also ambiguously defined remuneration rules and working time. Shortages in tender documentation were also demonstrated.

An analysis of schedules at the Bielański Hospital showed that between 5 and 10 doctors at the ER worked from 200 to 312 hours a month. Individual shifts exceeded 24 hours, with the longest lasting 48 hours. The largest amount was paid to a system doctor—771.6 thousand PLN in 2025 and 328 thousand PLN in 2026. This resulted from the number of hours worked by this medic: 3,355 hours in 2025 and 1,312 hours in 2026. At the end of May, the ER at the Bielański Hospital employed 153 people, including 40 doctors and 113 nurses, paramedics, administrative, and auxiliary personnel. 85 percent of doctors worked on civil law contracts.

Praski Hospital: Contract Errors and Contract-Based Work

At the Praski Transfiguration Hospital Sp. z o.o., auditors also revealed formal errors, including inconsistent provisions in doctor contracts regarding minimum working time and remuneration for increased workload. In two cases, doctors performed services without a contract because they exceeded the total remuneration amount specified in the agreement. Incidental situations occurred where no doctor was present in the ER.

At the Praski Hospital, the maximum number of monthly hours worked by a single doctor in 2026 was 197 hours, and the longest shift was 36 hours. Out of 64 doctors associated with the ER, three worked under an employment contract, 59 on contracts, and two on mandate contracts.

Czerniakowski Hospital: Overlapping Shift Hours and Lack of Working Time Registration

At the Czerniakowski Hospital Sp. z o.o., documentation errors were also revealed. Tender documents and those submitted by doctors during contract settlements were insufficiently verified. Furthermore, the audit showed that doctors worked in the ER who were simultaneously employed in other core departments. They reported working in the ER during the exact same hours they were on duty in their core departments. Auditors also pointed out a lack of registration for entries and exits as well as the start and end of work.

The highest number of hours worked by a doctor in the Czerniakowski Hospital ER was 292.5 hours per month in 2025, and 281.5 hours in 2026 (until the end of May). Two contract doctors were on duty for more than 24 hours—continuously for 31.5 hours and 26.5 hours.

During the period covered by the audit, the largest amount at this facility was paid to a general surgery doctor: 731.4 thousand PLN in 2025 and 267.1 thousand PLN in 2026 (until the end of May).

Wolski Hospital: Tender Errors and Settlements Inconsistent with Schedules

At the Dr. Anna Gostyńska Wolski Hospital Sp. z o.o., documentation errors were also revealed, including numerous issues concerning the execution of tenders and evaluation of offers. There were instances of submitting working hours for settlement that did not match the schedule. On the final day of the audit (May 31), 71 percent of doctors at the Wolski Hospital were employed on civil law contracts and mandate contracts.

Background of the Audits: Investigations, NFZ and PIP Controls, and Media Publications

The audits were ordered in connection with publications by the Zero.pl portal, which described the case of doctor and former KO councilor Dawid Kacprzyk. As the ER coordinator at the South Hospital and a KO councilor in Warsaw’s Ursus district, he reportedly earned 1.6 million PLN last year while undergoing specialization in anesthesiology. Portal journalists also established that politicians from the KO party were allegedly admitted to the ward managed by Kacprzyk without waiting in line, and comprehensive examinations were performed on them almost immediately after registration.

Two investigations have been initiated regarding the South Hospital. The first concerns fraud amounting to over half a million PLN. The second concerns abuse of power by a public official. Inspections carried out by the National Health Fund (NFZ) are ongoing in municipal hospitals. In addition to municipal officials, prosecutors, and NFZ officials, the National Labor Inspectorate (PIP) will also scrutinize the facility.