«52 new entries? We only have 3. The councilor offended us”

They don’t agree and reject the accusations. Not only. The Sur Fassid radiologists unionputs all the information in black and white shortcomings of a system which, according to them, is leaking from all sides in the region and certainly not due to the responsibility of those who work in that sector, but of the regional department which was not able to find the right answers. Today, according to Fassid, in fact, the entire radiological network is “undermined” due to staff shortages and for the fact that the correct answers have not yet arrived.

THE ATTACK

«We find ourselves forced – they explain – following the declarations of the Health Councilor Riccardo Riccardi to make substantial observations. The councilor, in his note, stated that “during 2023 Asufc assigned 837 medical director positions, of these 52 to the radiology area”. Fifty two! We don’t know where this data was taken from by the councilor, but public competitions are easily verifiable. In detail – they continue – two competitions were announced in 2023 in the Friulian company. The first was for 2 positions, despite coming after a period of over a dozen layoffs, the second for 7. In the first both positions were filled, in the second out of 7 positions only one specialist entered the ranking. So out of 9 available places, 3 have been assigned. At this point we ask ourselves where the other 49 are, however anyone who knows at all what we are talking about knows that probably not even by adding up all the public radiology departments of the FVG will we reach 52 radiology specialists”.

WE ARE OFFENDED

But the union also enters the fray on another aspect. «Riccardi’s words – he explains – even become offensive towards the entire radiology category when he reports that the dismissal of over 20 radiologists in Asfo is due to “difficulties inherent to the type of hours and commitment required in emergency radiological activity”. If he wanted to directly offend all the professionals involved, then he succeeded very well. We can really think that in a historic radiology department like that of Pordenone, 22 radiologists out of 25 could be fired due to “difficulties inherent to the type of hours and commitment required in emergency radiological activity”. Don’t the company’s management inabilities count for something? Perhaps the improper use of teleradiology in an attempt to save on staff has had some impact? Or the establishment of availability in multiple locations where there are known cases in which doctors had to stay in hotels? But no, of course, it’s the fault of the timetables and the commitment of the emergency activity, as if it only existed in Pordenone.”

FREELANCER

There is another topic on which the Fassid wants to clarify the situation. «With regards to the unsuccessful attempts to find personnel through competitions or freelance professional assignments – they continue – it seems right to remind us that our proposal was to start from a salary of 80-100 euros an hour, while we opted for salaries of 60 euros gross, little more than what a plumber, a gardener or a mechanic asks for. Now, however, with the calculations in hand, around 250 euros are spent, always per hour, for cooperatives of Argentine doctors who offer a service not even remotely comparable to that offered by their licensed colleagues. We also learn that “the creation of a simple breast department departmental structure” with a single radiologist allows us to “lay the foundations for the creation of a pool of professionals dedicated to the specific function”. Moreover, in the context of a region that has so far not been able to encourage this sector, allowing the vast majority of colleagues to have now resigned to move to the private sector or to other regions”.

WEDDING WITH DRIED FIGS

«Finally – they explain for the Pordenone structure which will be contracted out – we want to activate a second simple departmental structure dedicated to programmed diagnostics. And then also an interventional one. So we want to transform an unmanned radiology department into 4 different radiology departments. And who should work there? This dismemberment has already created strong discontent among those who still work in this radiology and the only result it will lead to will be the dismissal of the very few remaining professionals. Seeing the department you work in dismembered cannot be defined as an incentive. Do you really think that sectoralizing work could be an incentive to attract staff? Throughout the councilor’s note – they conclude – it is clear that there is not even a proposal that could in any way encourage the permanence or return of radiologic specialists”.

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