Poland’s Ministry of National Defense (MoD) has strongly denied rumors circulating online that Ukrainian soldiers receive preferential treatment in Polish hospitals, calling it “disinformation” and part of a “Russian narrative.”
In a statement on X posted Monday, the ministry emphasized that there are no legal regulations in Poland that would guarantee medical care in hospitals for Ukrainian soldiers ahead of Polish patients.
“This attempt at manipulation fits into the Russian narrative, whose goal is to incite negative emotions and polarize Polish society, as well as Western societies,” the ministry’s statement added.
‘Based on falsehood’
The false claims originated from a video published on X and Facebook last Friday, showing a group of Ukrainian soldiers outside a hospital in the southeastern Polish city of Stalowa Wola.
The video’s author commented that “I haven’t been able to get to a doctor for a year, and here the Ukrainians are being admitted.” Numerous comments were then posted under the video, including those fueling anti-Ukrainian sentiment, and the recording quickly went viral.
In reality, the hospital is one of over 100 facilities countrywide participating in a program in conjunction with the Polish military. The program includes training in battlefield medicine conducted by various military specialists, joint educational initiatives, as well as the digitalization and development of medical rescue services.
Such hospitals do care for foreign soldiers stationed in Poland, including soldiers from Ukraine as well as NATO countries such as France, Germany and Norway. However, the hospital invoices Poland’s Defense Ministry for the treatment of these soldiers.
‘Fight’ in the comments
“The problem is that the whole thing is based on falsehood,” Janusz Zarzeczny, the district governor of Stalowa Wola, told Polish news outlet Wirtualna Polska.
“Such a released video fuels anti-Ukrainian sentiment. It’s a classic: an image taken out of context, and then the ‘fight’ begins in the comments,” he added.
The governor emphasized that there is “no priority” for Ukrainians and that “every patient is classified according to the severity of their condition.”
“And yet, helping Ukrainian soldiers is also in the interest of our country. They are fighting against Russia. This is our flank. We are a frontline state,” Zarzeczny said.