The Lombardy Region’s social and health information system went berserk again on Monday morning. «From 7 to noon there was a complete blockade – he confirms Ivan Carrara, general practitioner and provincial secretary of Fimmg, the Italian Federation of general practitioners —. We weren’t able to send telematic or sickness certificates, but not even dematerialized prescriptions, we had to resort to the red paper ones.” While yesterday afternoon we noticed some slowdown (associated with a few minutes of actual disconnection) in the network connection.
More or less the same scenario was seen last week: for three days doctors and their patients had to deal with several hours of total blocking of the IT systems, which was followed by slowdowns in the network. Disservices which, however, are not attributable only to malfunctions of the regional platform. Which however «has always had problems – he highlights Guido Marinoni, President of the Bergamo Medical Association —. The data of the Region must interface with the IT systems of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The block of about ten days ago was due to a malfunction of the national systems. However,Even the regional platform often blocks on its own and, thus, these two problems become entangled.” The final result in the medium-long term? “For better or worse we have computer problems practically every week,” Carrara reflects. “We feel helpless and also not very protected.” In fact, the Siss is reduced to a wired network connected to a special modem provided by the Region: “Which would also be excellent for data protection,” Carrara continues, but when these failures occur even though the PC is working we cannot work. We often waste hours doing bureaucratic tasks, but this is demeaning.”
For Marinoni, this excess of technology in practice is often reflected in a paradox: «These IT systems are extremely pervasive. They help improve care, but when they don’t work they end up creating endless problems.” Which are unloaded on the doctors: «Sometimes patients argue with us, but we are not responsible, but victims like them – says Carrara -. There is also a part of the patients who now know the problem and joke about it.” Marinoni is saddened: “It’s not up to doctors to chase after IT failures, that’s not their job.”
