The National Health Fund (NFZ) has imposed a fine of PLN 208,000 on the Central Clinical Hospital of the Medical University of Łódź for failing to perform an abortion requested by a patient, who argued that the pregnancy posed a threat to her mental health. As reported by the portal niezalezna.pl, the Łódź hospital filed objections to the NFZ’s post-inspection findings on Tuesday. Ultimately, the abortion was carried out in Oleśnica when the woman was in her ninth month of pregnancy.
The case concerns the widely publicized story of Ms. Anita, whose unborn child was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease). The woman was allegedly misled about the condition of her pregnancy, and the hospital refused to perform the abortion.
The hospital’s management confirmed that it had received the NFZ’s inspection results regarding the patient’s case.
“We assure that all our actions have been and continue to be carried out with due diligence and with concern for patient safety,” reads a statement from the hospital’s management.
“The hospital exercised its legal right to remedy, and on March 16, 2026, objections to the NFZ’s post-inspection report were submitted,” it added.
The NFZ found, among other things, a violation of the patient’s right to information. This was said to involve insufficient communication about all possible scenarios of the condition, its prognosis, available treatment options, and the consequences of either applying or withholding them. In practice, this means that—according to the Fund—the patient was not presented with a complete picture of her medical situation, which could have influenced her decisions.
A second allegation concerned the allegedly improper conduct of a medical consultation panel. The NFZ concluded that the team’s actions did not ensure an appropriate assessment of medical grounds and did not lead to the provision of the requested service. The Fund also pointed to making the provision of care conditional on the patient submitting a certificate that was already in the hospital’s possession—specifically, a psychiatric opinion regarding the risk to her mental health. In the NFZ’s view, this created unjustified procedural barriers.
She Went to Oleśnica
It should be recalled that the woman was admitted to the Łódź hospital in the 35th week of pregnancy. She was offered termination of the pregnancy by cesarean section, which she refused, seeking instead to end the life of the child. One of her reasons was reportedly to spare the child suffering related to the illness. According to accounts, the woman was in poor mental condition. It was also claimed that she had been unjustifiably placed in a psychiatric ward. She had a psychiatric opinion stating that she was experiencing “resignation thoughts.”
Shortly afterward, the woman went to a hospital in Oleśnica, where the abortion was performed. At the time, Dr. Gizela Jagielska—known for performing abortions—was working there. The patient was in the 36th week of pregnancy.