They operate in the Municipality of Aprilia, with almost 75 thousand inhabitants 43 general practitioners And 11 Pediatricians with an average of approximately 1,400 patients.
The expected maximum is 1,500 patients per doctor, but according to the Aprilia Patient Tribunal it should not exceed 1,000. To deal with the emergency, some doctors have even agreed to work ‘in derogation’ with a maximum of 1,800 patients.
GPs in serious difficulty
Another doctor who has 1,529 patients will soon retire. These will be added to the 6,000 who have the doctor in derogation compared to the expected ceiling (1,500). In Aprilia there will be a shortage of family doctors for several thousand people.
But working with 1,800 people to follow is almost impossible.
You can see the result around the city. Lines of patients outside the doors where GPs have their offices. Doctors forced to reduce the time to dedicate to each individual patient. Long queues even just for a recipe.
And the good old visit from the health insurance doctor who came to your house even just for the flu… you couldn’t even dream of it.
Despite computerization, public health mechanisms are still cumbersome and general practitioners are truly at the end of their tether. Especially after emerging from a pandemic that did not become a catastrophe only thanks to them.
Aprilia Patient Tribunal
The Aprilia Patient Rights Tribunal explains:
«It is clear that the time available to citizens in need of care but also of having a relationship of trust with their doctor, of being listened to and followed is increasingly limited.
Each family doctor should not exceed 1000 patients in order to operate efficiently.
Increasing the number of GPs registered was disadvantageous for the patient but also for the doctor himself, stressed by the amount of commitments for visits, prescriptions, certificates and, for many of them, by having to follow the new IT procedures”.
Reduce waiting lists
«The figure of the family doctor is fundamental for the future of a local healthcare system that can offer citizens the services they need, and above all the care of chronic patients through the Diagnostic-Therapeutic-Assistive Paths promoted by general practitioners , also through groups of Primary Care Units formed by General Practitioners.
Taking care of chronic patients would make it possible to reduce waiting lists by 50% and partly also reduce the use of white codes in the emergency room”, continues the Patient’s Rights Tribunal.
Aprilia, not a reassuring future
The future is not reassuring. In fact, numerous retirements are expected considering that theaverage age of family doctors is close to 60 years.
The causes of the shortage of medical personnel should be referred to lack of planning in the turnover of doctors (retirement, transfers, etc.), closed, insufficient number of access for the faculties of Medicine and Surgery, competition rules and regulations not updated.
“It is necessary for the relevant authorities to become aware of the worsening of the situation and without delay implement a restructuring phase of the system”, concludes the Court.
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Tags: Aprilia family doctor emergency retirement Thousands doctor
