Amendment to the Act on the National Zoning Authority in Gostynin. The Ministries of Health and Justice announce changes.

The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice are working on amending the law regulating the activities of the National Center for the Prevention of Dissocial Behavior in Gostynin. The changes will address, among other things, patient rights, residency rules, admission procedures, and monitoring. The work is underway amid a hunger strike by patients in protest against what they claim are illegal regulations and poor conditions at the center.

The National Center for the Prevention of Dissocial Behavior in Gostynin has been operating since 2014. It houses perpetrators of the most serious crimes who have completed their prison sentences but—in the opinion of prison directors—should still be isolated. Placement in the center is decided by a court based on expert opinions, and the facility is managed by the Ministry of Health .

The Ministries of Health and Justice are currently working on amending the Act of November 22, 2013, governing the operation of the KOZZD and its Czersk branch. The changes will address, among other things, the rights and obligations of individuals placed in the center, the conditions of stay, and admission and monitoring procedures.

For several days, patients at the KOZZD in Gostynin and its branch in Czersk have been on hunger strike. This is the third such protest in the center's history. They are opposing the current rules, which they describe as illegal and contrary to the Constitution and the Mental Health Protection Act.

They are demanding, among other things, an end to repression and ongoing oversight of the institution by the Commissioner for Human Rights . In their statement, they wrote:

Deputy Commissioner for Human Rights, Wojciech Brzozowski, has requested information from the ministries regarding the progress of work on the amendment. As the Commissioner for Human Rights emphasizes, interventions regarding conditions at the National Housing Association (KOZZD) have been ongoing for years. A 2018 press release stated:

In May 2024, Deputy Minister of Justice Maria Ejchart appointed an inter-ministerial working group, which includes Deputy Minister of Health Wojciech Konieczny , Prof. Janusz Heitzman, Dr. Ewa Dawidziuk, and experts in the field of sexology and psychology.

The project was supposed to be ready by spring 2025, but – as the Ministry of Justice admitted – additional time is needed. Deputy Minister Ejchart explained that the proposed solutions are being analyzed by expert specialists, which "clearly demonstrates the complexity of the issue."

Deputy Minister of Health Wojciech Konieczny emphasized in a letter dated July 2025 that the aim of the amendment is to supplement and expand the regulations, particularly in the area of patients’ rights and obligations, rules of stay, admission and inspection procedures.

The Ministry of Health announced an inspection of the center, covering the years 2024–2025. The request for intervention was submitted by Professor Monika Płatek, a public representative of the protesters.

Health Minister Jolanta Sobierańska-Grenda also has a patient request on her desk to dismiss director Agnieszka Jędrzejczak, her deputy, and several other senior staff members. The Ministry of Health has not yet responded to a question about any planned personnel changes.

Source: PAP/MH