Polish media on Friday reported a tragic incident in Wrocław. They claimed that a patient had died in a private clinic because doctors from Belarus and Ukraine did not know Polish and did not understand him. Radio Svaboda determined that this was fake.
The publications were triggered by a Facebook post from Polish MEP Ewa Zajączkowska.
“The staff, consisting of citizens of Ukraine and Belarus, could not understand the patient or determine that he had previously suffered an anaphylactic shock. They administered a contrast agent, which led to a severe allergic reaction. The medical staff did not know how to provide assistance or call an ambulance. The patient died…” wrote Zajączkowska, who represents the Eurosceptic and anti-immigration coalition Konfederacja. This political force demands changes to Poland’s policy of supporting Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees.
Zajączkowska’s post became highly popular: it has been shared 3,000 times. The overwhelming majority of commenters express outrage at immigrant doctors who do not know Polish and demand that they be punished. The rest of Zajączkowska’s post is written in the same tone. She places the blame on “the pathological policy of allowing foreign doctors to work in Poland too easily” and demands that those responsible for such rules “get out”.
Zajączkowska refers to Dr. Paweł Wróblewski, head of the Lower Silesian Medical Chamber. Last week, Wróblewski gave an interview to a YouTube channel with 10 subscribers. In it he said:
“The case is now in court. No one is saying that it concerns doctors from abroad, because that is politically incorrect. But it does.”
Journalists attempted to contact Wróblewski by phone and email, but he did not respond to requests for details about the incident.
Today, several major Polish media outlets published stories based on Wróblewski’s remarks from that interview. None of the articles contain any new details, dates, the name of the clinic, or quotes from the victim’s relatives or law enforcement. All the texts rely solely on Wróblewski’s quote to an obscure YouTube channel.
The case had to be addressed even by the Wrocław prosecutor’s office on Friday. It refuted the story presented by Wróblewski and some Polish media.
“The information contained in the statement of the indicated person, and then in press publications, is unreliable,” said Prosecutor Karolina Sztocka-Mycek, spokesperson for the Wrocław District Prosecutor’s Office, in an interview with Konkret24. A tragic death of a patient from anaphylactic shock was indeed recorded in Wrocław. But it happened three years ago, and Belarusians and Ukrainians had nothing to do with it.
The Wrocław prosecutor’s office is investigating the negligent infliction of death of 49-year-old Dominik K. He died on 24 January 2023 as a result of what is known as medical malpractice.
The prosecutor’s office states that the information contained in the statements of Paweł Wróblewski and in press articles “is in no way confirmed by the facts established during the investigation conducted by the Wrocław District Prosecutor’s Office”.
“The information that the medical staff of the clinic in question did not speak Polish and that this led to negligence resulting in the patient’s death is false and may mislead readers,” the statement says.
Polish journalists also contacted Paweł Wróblewski. He claims that the journalist he spoke with misunderstood him. When reminded that the quotation was verbatim, he said he had heard the version about foreign doctors’ involvement from a lawyer. He added that he was not responsible for how his words were interpreted.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the situation in fact unfolded as follows:
“During the review it was established that on 24 January 2023, Dominik K. visited a clinic in Wrocław for an abdominal MRI with contrast. Before the examination, clinic staff in the presence of a doctor conducted a questionnaire and interviewed the patient. The patient did not report any allergies or chronic illnesses. The scan without contrast proceeded normally. After 10 millilitres of contrast were administered, the patient almost immediately pressed the emergency button, reported difficulty breathing and began coughing. Within a minute he lost consciousness. Clinic staff and the doctor immediately began resuscitation. Throughout this time the technician maintained constant phone contact with the emergency dispatcher. After some time the rescue operation was continued by an arriving ambulance team. Despite medical intervention, the patient was pronounced dead after being transported to the hospital.”