by Maria Teresa Birolini
Elizabeth He is 56 years old and has had two cancer diagnoses behind him. The second arrived in July 2022: «It was a difficult moment, after overcoming that of 2017 I had to start again from scratch. But this time too, thanks to the doctors of Papa Giovanni and my family, who didn’t give up on me for a second, let’s say that “I brought the fur home”.
So everything’s fine? Not exactly. «Compared to the first experience, the situation has dramatically worsened. Booking diagnostic tests and control tests scheduled for oncological follow-up has become a job. In 2017, immediately after the operation, I left the visit with the oncologist and went straight to the counter where the employee immediately booked the next check-up for me. Now it’s a challenge to be able to get an appointment, even in private facilities.”
In what sense?
«At the beginning of April I tried to book the CT scan which I have to do, as prescribed, in August. I went to the Priamo desk at the Bergamo hospital, the one dedicated to cancer patients, and after a long search by the operator I returned home without a date: no place available for August 2024. And the even more disheartening thing is that since The office dedicated to cancer patients is expected to close in May.”
I guess they recommended a private facility to you, then.
«This is the real alarm bell: even in private facilities you struggle to find a place. To date, the only possibility I have of having the two CT scans (abdomen and chest) in August is to book at Humanitas, privately, at a cost of 900 euros. All the other private structures contacted have not yet responded to me.”
How does this situation affect morale?
«Psychological well-being is also fundamental and this system to which we are forced is the worst for living with an already aggressive disease, from which you can only save yourself with careful checks. You don’t know who to blame, who to protest. You spend your days on the phone chasing the exam (…)
