Chrabota: Hold Dawid Kaczpyrk accountable, but politicians' privileges remain

Bogusław Chrabota, writing for Rzeczpospolita, lambasts Polish politicians for their hypocrisy concerning healthcare privileges, particularly in the wake of a scandal involving a doctor at Warsaw's Southern Hospital. He recalls the communist era, when a special clinic on Emilii Plater street served top officials, politicians, and their families, inaccessible to ordinary citizens.

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Happening PiS before the Southern Hospital in Warsaw

This elite medical facility, known as the Government Clinic, operated until January 1, 1999, a decade after communism's fall. Chrabota points out that most politicians active in the 1990s would have been aware of or even used this exclusive service. He argues that while the clinic was abolished, the "customs" of privilege persisted, leading to the current "festival of hypocrisy" surrounding the "VIP lounge" and preferential treatment at the Southern Hospital.

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The clinic functioned from the early PRL as a closed facility for the highest state authorities and political elites.

The author directly challenges politicians, including Jarosław Kaczyński, to cast the first stone if they have never benefited from privileges. He notes that power corrupts, and higher positions often lead to greater demands on the healthcare system, which is already strained by queues and doctor shortages.

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The clinic was abolished, but the customs remained, which is why today's festival of hypocrisy by politicians regarding the 'VIP lounge' and the fast track for Mr. Doctor Kaczpyrk's cronies at the Southern Hospital in Warsaw is shocking.

While acknowledging the need to investigate the doctor's alleged financial impropriety, Chrabota stresses that the focus should also be on the "strong backing" that enabled his alleged rapid rise. He urges these "backers" to come forward, explain their actions, and bear responsibility, warning against succumbing to "madness of hypocrisy" as the system's flaws are widespread.

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Let the first politician who has never benefited from privileges cast the first stone.