BUSTO ARSIZIO – Another no to the construction of the new hospital between Busto Arsizio and Gallarate. A no that comes from the Single Stop Hospital committee in the aftermath of the failure to debate the issue in the city council of Busto Arsizio. A no that, this time, it also highlights the ambiguous attitude (according to the committee itself) of the Democratic Party. Here is the long note sent to the newspapers.
The city council was held in Busto Arsizio on March 26th. Despite the motion put forward by the councilors of the Democratic Party and the councilor Cascio of Progetto in Comune to promote the restoration of funding for local healthcare and ensure the confirmation of the financing of 440 million for the interventions planned for the relaunch of hospital construction in the territory that followed the doubts and ambiguities that emerged regarding the availability of funds available for the financing of the new Single Hospital that emerged in recent days, no discussion was held during the session.
220 million missing
In fact, just last March 15th, the regional councilor of the Democratic Party Astuti, during a press conference, reported that there might be a lack of money for the construction of the new Single Hospital. In fact, the government would have eliminated 220 million earmarked for its construction. This money would be missing following the cuts of 1,200 million for healthcare at a national level made by the Meloni government as it is not investable as projects in which to use it would have to be carried out by 2026, as envisaged by the Pnrr, and the times would therefore not be sufficient. Candiani, a Northern League deputy, responded by saying that this is a lie; the money, he claims, is there because it would no longer be found in the “cauldron” of the Pnrr, but would have been repositioned where it was from the beginning, that is, available for the financing of the new Single Hospital.
What is going on?
The PD of Busto Arsizio together with the Progetto in Comune civic list, in order to avoid the cancellation of the funds, subsequently filed a motion that leads to the repeal of the national law which provides for the cut. We don’t want to get into the controversy between PD and Lega, we want to highlight something that seems more important to us. What exactly is happening? Is there a real change in the positions of the political forces regarding the new Single Hospital in the air? Only a few years ago the project for the construction of the new hospital was welcomed positively by the Democratic Party itself which did not detect any critical issues. There was no mention of the fact that this project would have resulted, in fact and immediately, in the abandonment and decline of the two existing hospitals, severely limiting their ability to provide an adequate healthcare service to the local population, lengthening the lists of waiting, closing the departments, clogging the two emergency rooms incapable of adequately accommodating emergencies.
The consequences
Nothing was said about the fate of the workers, doctors, nurses and service workers who, faced with the deterioration of the current hospitals, found themselves working in a difficult situation and, not surprisingly, abandoned the two structures to move elsewhere. Not even a prediction about their working future. If we are now in this situation, the responsibilities are evidently also those of those who did not immediately detect what would happen, instead focusing everything on the construction of the new hospital seen as the only solution, suitable for providing a better healthcare service. However, citizens immediately raised criticism against this project. To the population of the area the matter did not seem so clear and obvious, doubts had been raised about the actual number of future beds, lower than the overall number of the two current hospitals, about the ability of a single emergency room to deal with emergencies, about the location of the new structure in a particularly busy and critical area and which, moreover, would sacrifice an important green area on the border between Busto and Gallarate.
The program agreement
Yet, despite this, last October 24th the program agreement was signed and this also following the singular behavior of the PD which, if it voted against the agreement at the municipal council held in Gallarate on September 28th 2023, in council held in Busto on the same day abstained, effectively leaving only councilor Cascio to point out how much negative and ideological there was in the desire to carry forward the construction of the new hospital at all costs. It can be objected that in the council the majority would have had the votes to proceed anyway, but the abstention of the PD in that council meeting, which was also attended by many citizens who expressed their dissent through banners and placards, was indicative of a certain ambiguity.
Redevelop the existing
Now we are told that the funds are lacking. We at the Stopeditoreunico committee have denounced the absurdity of this situation since we were established. We have said that the new hospital will have fewer beds, and that its location is also inappropriate. Above all, we have highlighted the extremely difficult situation of the current hospitals, in which the departments are closed, in which there is a lack of staff, with the related emergency rooms in collapse. We have underlined how it is necessary to act immediately in the redevelopment of the current hospitals to give the fastest and most efficient response to the population’s health needs. We also underlined how good healthcare must be territorial and widespread and must not have the hospital structure as its sole point of reference. Good healthcare also requires accurate epidemiological investigations and the protection of the environment in which citizens live. We don’t think much is being done on this front or that there are any relevant proposals.
The expectations
Given the difficulties that healthcare is experiencing at the moment, we expect a different response from the institutions. First of all, we reiterate that healthcare must first and foremost be public and efficient. We do not believe that proposing a motion to release the funds for the new hospital is an effective proposal. We always return to the idea that the new single hospital is the solution to the healthcare problems in our area. We reiterate how necessary it is to get the existing hospitals back on track, reopening the departments and rehiring staff in order to provide an effective service. Focusing on the new hospital and letting the current ones collapse means in fact pushing citizens in the meantime to resort to private healthcare, depriving them of what is a constitutionally recognized right, that is to be treated regardless of income, or, if informed, to appeal through the health centers present in the area (that is, they must reiterate their right of which they would otherwise be deprived).
“Excellent healthcare”
As the Stopeditoreunico committee we reiterate the need for more complete and sensible action on healthcare. The “excellent healthcare” much heralded by Formigoni and Maroni has revealed itself for what it is: an increasingly less efficient public healthcare system, with increasingly long waiting lists and fewer beds, on the other hand private structures have grown, also thanks to public funds, and the provision of care within them has increased. The affiliated structures, which should have offered citizens those services in which the public had difficulty, have in fact taken away funds that should have been invested differently and now also have long waiting lines. Thinking that the single hospital is the solution is naive to say the least. WE RUN THE RISK OF FINDING OURSELVES IN THE NEXT YEARS WITH TWO COMPLETELY INEFFICIENT HOSPITALS, A NEW UNBUILT HOSPITAL, BUT A VAST OFFER OF TREATMENT IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO WHICH ONLY THOSE WHO HAVE THE POSSIBILITY WILL ACCESS.
Stophospitalunico Committee
