Deputy Minister of Justice Marcin Warchoł was a guest on the morning program ‘W Punkt’ on TV Republika. He talked about how the Polish government is trying to save Mr Slawomir, a Polish man in a coma who was disconnected from life support equipment in a British hospital. There is an ongoing battle against time to get him to the country. His condition is deteriorating dramatically.
The case is R.S., a middle-aged man (his identity cannot be published for family reasons) who has lived in England for several years, and who suffered cardiac arrest for at least 45 minutes on November 6, 2020, resulting in severe and permanent brain damage, according to the hospital. As a result, Plymouth Hospital applied to the court for permission to disconnect the life support equipment, which the man’s wife and children, who live in England, agreed to. However, his mother and sister, who live in Poland, as well as his other sister and niece, who live in England, are against it.
Efforts are underway to bring Mr Slawomir to the country. What are the chances of that?
‘If there was no chance, I wouldn’t be taking all these actions. He is currently in the process of getting a diplomatic passport. The passport is ready, sent to London and we are waiting for confirmation from the British side’ – said Marcin Warchoł in an interview with editor Katarzyna Gójska.
However, the man has disconnected from food and water a few days ago. The question arises, ‘How long will he last?’ And another – when should the British side accept the fact of granting a diplomatic passport to Mr Slawomir?
‘Without the consent of the British side, nothing can be done. They do not have a specific time, but they should do it immediately, this was indicated by the District Court in Warsaw, the judges met at 8.00 PM on duty as a matter of urgency, and at the request of the prosecutor’s office, permission was granted for the transport of our compatriot to Poland,’ Warchoł pointed out, recalling that on Friday, the District Court in Warsaw, at the request of the prosecutor, ruled to secure the proceedings by agreeing to transport the man to Poland. The District Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw has filed a motion for total incapacitation of the comatose Pole.
‘We all care about connecting our compatriot to the apparatus as soon as possible and then transporting him to Poland’ – emphasized Marcin Warchoł.
‘Life is priceless, sacred, from conception to natural death. It is enshrined in our culture, tradition, faith. Poles should be sure that when they go abroad, the state will not turn its back on them. This is what the civilization of life is all about and I trust it will win out over the civilization of death’ – he said.
The whole procedure of transporting the Pole to the country is now ready. Minister Warchoł revealed how it will look like: ‘The Minister of Health has prepared the transport. Transport awaits, a plane to the UK, then an ambulance can bring our compatriot from the hospital to the airport. In Szymany, transport, which will take him to ‘Klinika Budzik’, is waiting, and in Klinika Budzik a place is already prepared’.
Warchoł also revealed what is the current state of Sławomir’s health.
‘I am constantly in touch with the family of our compatriot who is in the UK. I’m in constant contact with the family, they keep me updated. I know that unfortunately, this starving of our compatriot is bad for his health. This health condition is dramatically deteriorating, unfortunately,’ he sadly admitted.
‘This is drama. Starving a man… We are dealing with a tragic situation. We are noticing a repetition of what we saw with Alfie Evans,’ he concluded.