Karol Nawrocki and Sławomir Mentzen: Ukrainians extend the queues to the doctor. It's “fear of fear”

It was known that in the ongoing election campaign, the topic of war behind the eastern border, helping Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees would be one of the key, but in recent days the messages of some candidates are becoming more radical. That Ukrainians staying in Poland are still increasing the problem of queues to doctors – with whom subsequent governments have not been able to cope for years – two candidates have recently spoken: Sławomir Mentzen of the Confederation and Karol Nawrocki supported by Law and Justice.

“A Pole in Poland, to treat himself to a doctor, he must pay a health contribution, and the Ukrainian does not have to. They come from Ukraine to Poland, register to the doctor, extend us queues, then have reimbursed medicines and return to each other” – said Sławomir Mentzen on the conventionand in Bełchatów on February 22. “They organized medical tourism for our money,” he added.

Three days later, at a press conference in Kłobuck, Karol Nawrocki was asked how he refers to such statements of Mentzen. “I actually have such signals that citizens who came here from Ukraine cause problems in queues to hospitals and to the clinic. I am of the opinion that Ukrainians should not live in Poland better than Poles” – stated PiS candidate.

These statements of PiS candidates and the Confederation duplicate anti -Ukrainian messages that began to circulate on the Polish Internet shortly after the start of the full -scale invasion of Russia to Ukraine on February 24, 2022, when refugees from Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of thousands settled in Poland. Already in March 2022, the narrative was distributed in Polish social media that in one of the hospitals to be taken “only Ukrainians from accidents” – we denied it in Concrete24. There was, for example, a false message that Polish children were to be thrown out of oncological hospitals to make a place for children from Ukraine – for which there was no evidence for (he verified this, among others Demagogue).

In the concrete24 We verified A message about the allegedly “difficult situation in pediatric wards in Wrocław hospitals”, which is to be caused by children from Ukraine. We also denied the words of Sławomir Mentzenwho already in 2022 said that the Ukrainian was to take advantage of the state reimbursement and paid less for a medical benefit than a Pole later accepted. In a radio interview, Mentzen cited this story as an example of the Polish government “favorable to Ukrainians towards Poles.” When asked by Spec24 about the reliable source of this message, he only answered: “Unfortunately, I do not know what clinic a friend talked about with whom I talked about.”

The goal of the narrative connecting refugees from Ukraine with the problems of Polish healthcare (that is, that they are guilty of her) is to strengthen among Poles a negative attitude towards Ukrainians – which is the implementation of the intentions of Russian propaganda. The Kremlin has been playing for deepening divisions between Ukrainians and Poles since the beginning of the war.

In December 2023, i.e. during the rule of the United Right, the Ministry of Health denied public statements and internet messages that Ukrainians were favored in queues for reimbursed treatments with the National Health Fund. “The powers of patients from Ukraine, covered by the Act on aid, as well as those covered by health insurance on general terms, are subject to exactly the same restrictions as the powers of insured Polish citizens. They result from the regulations specifying the so -called basket of guaranteed benefits. There is no question of better treatment of Ukrainian citizens” – said the ministry in response to editorial questions Demagog.org.

How is it now? A spokesman for the Ministry of Health Jakub Gołąb denies reports of medical tourism from Ukraine. “The data we have – after consultations, which I also conducted with the National with the Health Fund – do not confirm the thesis that it is medical tourism. They are simply people who escaped from the war -covered areas and use help, healthcare” – explained the spokesman in an interview with Radomir Czarnecki from the editorial office of “Black on white” TVN24.

As he noted, there may be cases that someone cynically uses the system, but on the basis of data nothing similar can be confirmed. “Suggesting such an approach that this is just medical tourism, that these are people who somehow parasitize on the system – (…) it is harmful and this is a narrative, I would say that Kremlin. I do not know if consciously, but I want to believe that unconsciously – but [jest] repeated by some political environments. I think to the detriment of everyone. First of all for the interests of Poland, “says a spokesman for the health department.

However, as to the suggestions that Ukrainians were treated in Polish health facilities somehow, in response to the spokesperson we read: “Persons authorized on the basis of the Act on the help of Ukrainian citizens in connection with armed conflict in the territory of this country, use health services, including medicines, on such terms as entitled Polish citizens, so they do not have priority in queues or other additional privileges. to use: spa treatment and spa rehabilitation. “

We also asked the National Health Fund and the Supreme Medical Chamber for a comment on the statements of Nawrocki and Mentzen about Ukrainians. The latter wrote back that “he does not have reliable statistical data on the scale of these phenomena so that he could refer to substantively”, and the National Health Fund did not answer the text.

Political marketing experts with whom the Species spoke24 emphasize, however, that in such a message it is not about facts and data – such theses are supposed to be unverifiable.

“Neither Karol Nawrocki nor Sławomir Mentzen say exactly where, when and how many Ukrainians took the queues. If they gave numbers and places, they would expose themselves to verifying their own words, and so they divide the impression or – I quote for Nawrocki – 'signals'' – explains in the answer to the questions of concrete24 Dr. Milena Drzewiecka, social and political psychologist with the University of SWPS. “From the level of political marketing it is highly pragmatic. Not necessarily ethical but pragmatic” – he adds.

Similarly, Dr. Mirosław Oczdoś, an image and political marketing specialist, receives the statements of Nawrocki and Mentzen about Ukrainians. – This is absolutely unverified, and immoral – but it can be effective. Apparently internal research shows that this gives an effect – he states. – Because to check it, someone would have to stand between the reception and the doors of the office and overheat whether the Ukrainians are just pushing. It's the same as with fake news that Poland is to send soldiers to Ukraine. Nobody from the government said about it, but the prime minister and Rafał Trzaskowski are accused of it, so they must deny something that is not. And the Ukrainians have no way to deny, because who would deny them? – he explains.

Then he adds: – So this is a lie that is likely – such a higher kind of lie. After all, if someone warns, he will find one Ukrainian or Ukrainian somewhere. And that's what both bars focus on, although Sławomir Mentzen and the Confederation do it longer, they have it inscribed in the program for many years, they said it after the outbreak of war. However, Karol Nawrocki does what he can, because his staff has no idea how to shoot this politician. And these are topics that are close to him somewhere, because you can see that he says it without a problem – says Dr. Mirosław Oczdoś.

Dr. Milena Drzewiecka explains that such actions are an attempt to impose a topic and show himself as a solution to a real or imaginary problem. And explains:

“PiS and confederation electorates seem particularly susceptible to the opposition: their own. And that Karol Nawrocki and Sławomir Mentzen are fighting for a similar conservative voter, it is not surprising that they reach for similar methods. They operate with fear and present their candidacy as a solution to the problem” – adds the expert.

In the context of fear of fear, Dr. Mirosław Oczkow notes that such messages build a dislike of a group. – Situations that Mentzen and Nawrocki are talking about at the moment cause an increased anti -Ukrainian attitudes and views. This is also visible from the research – he says.

Indeed, a study conducted by the Social Opinion Research Center (CBOS) at the beginning of 2025 showedthat the attitude of Poles to Ukrainians worsened compared to 2024. In January this year, more respondents declared a negative attitude towards Ukrainian citizens (38 %) than positive (30 %). A year earlier, the proportions were opposite: 40 percent respondents declared a positive attitude towards Ukrainians, and 30 percent negative.