The question of how much the gala for county hospital employees cost and whether the event violated the Act on Upbringing in Sobriety is NOT an attack on anyone.
Nevertheless, the internet erupted. And Jolanta Sawczak remains silent instead of quickly explaining the controversial issues surrounding the gala organized by her Foundation. Forced to respond, she does not answer directly and creates her own narrative.
In online comments, internet users write ironically about the Gala of the Future, calling it a “gala of vanity.” They ask about the event’s financing, the point of holding such an elaborate party inside the sports hall at the high school in Bolesławiec, and alcohol being served there in the context of the law in force. They write about the hospital’s debt, problems with healthcare in Poland, difficulties accessing specialists and queues at the Emergency Department in Bolesławiec.
Employees attending the gala defend their right to celebrate lavishly and together. In a post, one participant wrote that for her it was a wonderful evening because she could dress up and see her colleagues in elegant outfits rather than, as on a daily basis, hospital uniforms. Defenders also write that alcohol is for adults and that only adults drank at the gala organized in the school hall.
Videos are also circulating online showing medics from St. Luke’s Hospital in beautiful evening attire arriving by limousine at the county high school’s sports hall and walking to the event along a red carpet.
And indeed—the modest sports hall was transformed into a “hall of fame.” The entire floor was covered with carpeting and the interior was arranged for the occasion. The tables had tablecloths and fresh flowers; the menu included caviar and shrimp. There was also a well-stocked bar offering free alcoholic drinks. On stage, major stars performed a wonderful concert. There was exceptional production as well: screens, lighting effects and animations, all executed with great professionalism by a crew that spent several days installing electronic equipment.
Jolanta Sawczak has clammed up, despite promising before the gala that she would make the event’s organizational cost public. Asked about the money, she gave a journalist from Wyborcza an evasive answer: “If we had not had the funds properly secured, we would not have held this gala.”
Rather than finances, Jolanta Sawczak focuses on how necessary such a gala was. She told Wyborcza that the past six years had been a very difficult time for employees, partly because of the pandemic. She therefore decided that hospital staff needed integration and recognition for their hard work. Will her narrative catch on? And will the public learn the budget for the Gala of the Future?
Under the Access to Public Information Act, we asked the Foundation a series of questions about the event’s financing. We are awaiting a response.
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