An urgent meeting with the social partners, to address the provisions of regional law no. 9 of 23 May, regarding the coverage of the deficit of the regional health service.
This is what they ask for CGIL and the FP CGIL L’Aquila, in an open letter in which they reiterate the need for a discussion on the provisions of article two of the same regional law. The law requires ASLs to prepare within 30 days a plan for the rationalization of available resources and the sustainability of the health services offered. This worries the trade unions, who in the open letter ask not to foresee “staff cuts and blocks of stabilization or reduction of workers in companies contracting for services and complementary services”, if they do not want to aggravate a situation which is already very complex.
The letter is addressed to the president of the select committee of mayors of ASL 1 Avezzano-Sulmona-L’Aquila, to the mayors of the Municipalities of Avezzano and Castel di Sangro, to the regional health councilor Nicoletta Verì, and to the general director and the health and administrative directors of the ASL 1.
A situation that sees the ASL 1 Abruzzo grappling with a deficit of 46 million euros which was affected by various factors starting from the balance of passive mobility of over 24 million euros in 2023 “while in 2019 – we read in the letter – the ASL had closed with a positive mobility balance of around 4 million euros”. Since then, the unions continue, “a continuous and systematic exodus” of Abruzzo citizens towards more attractive health systems ASL 1 Abruzzo, data confirmed by the value of active mobility reached in 2023, the lowest value since 2019 to date equal to 52 million euros.
Another factor to consider is that relating to the waiting lists, of which the unions do not hesitate to recall the numbers, those of the 328 days needed for a complete abdominal ultrasound in the Peligno Sangrina area, of the 289 days for the L’Aquila hospital where 235 are needed for a dynamic electrocardiogram Holteror the 327 days it takes for one CT scan complete abdomen in the L’Aquila area while in the Peligna area the days become 223.
For a total colonoscopy with a flexible endoscope the first available appointment in the Marsica area is for the month of January 2025 while in the L’Aquila and Peligno Sangrina areas you have to wait until the following month, February 2025. Similar situation for carrying out a gastroscopy where in L’Aquila we have to wait until April 2025, in Marsica until February of the same year while in the Peligno Sangrina area we are talking about it for the year 2026, since everything is full for 2025. Not to mention a examination MRI brain which in the L’Aquila area requires 340 days of waiting and in the Peligno Sangrina area 186, while for a dermatological visit if in the first area it takes 235 days, in the Marsica one must wait 284.
Examples of a situation that has worsened over time “to the detriment of the prevention system which should instead be guaranteed in a very short time” continue the union acronyms which point out that the cause of such unacceptable concerns is also the chronic shortage of personnel. A staff who today “is forced to work extraordinary scheduled hours and continually skip rest breaks for psychophysical recovery” underline the CGIL and the FP CGIL for which the situation becomes even more serious in the summer periods when to make up for the lack of staff “the use of ordinary holidays is prevented” or “the merging of some departments and services” is resorted to.
Long waiting lists, combined with the absence or scarcity of health services and personnel, which lead “thousands of people to be treated outside the province, or even outside the region, with increasingly frequent recourse to private healthcare”. This is what the trade unions denounce, worried about the ever-increasing inequality between those who can afford treatment and those who cannot. A shortage which, however, does not only concern staff but also material, aids and medicines within the departments and services as demonstrated by the “now daily” complaints, the many reports of the lack of sterile gloves, bags, catheter caps, needles , gauze, cotton etc. while for drugs all that remains is to ask hospitalized patients to provide themselves with those brought from home.
“Further cuts to services – conclude the unions – would not be sustainable for the entire community” who live in an area where “shared investments are needed, planning that starts from unsatisfied health needs to ensure that the public health system returns to being the point of reference for prevention and treatment”. Awaiting a response regarding the request for a meeting, already made on May 30th, the undersigned CGIL And FP CGIL L’Aquila ask that the ASL 1, following the example of the others ASL Abruzzo, do not shy away from a confrontation that has become more urgent than ever.
