The Mayor of Lagonegro, Salvatore Falabella, writes to the President of the Basilicata Region, Vito
Bardi, and to the General Director of the “San Carlo” Regional Hospital of Potenza,
Giuseppe Spera, for an urgent meeting on the reduction of healthcare activities at the Lagonegro Hospital.
Below is the note from the mayor of Lagonegro: “
In the last few hours the news, learned by the press, of a feared decision by the General and Health Directorates of the San Carlo Regional Hospital in Potenza, which would have decided to eliminate night-time medical presences in the Cardiology departments of the Hospitals of Melfi, Villa d’Agri and Lagonegro to strengthen daytime outpatient activity.
We express strong concern, also collecting reports from alarmed citizens and operators, and ask to go back on any decisions already taken, which would put the very lives of citizens of the entire Lagonegrese area at risk.
Patients who resort to the specific medical intervention of the department in question present
problems for which the time factor is fundamental and can determine the survival or death of the subject. We cannot rely on the hope that emergencies only happen during the day.
Furthermore, the absence of night-time helicopter rescue services at the Lagonegro hospital, home to the Active Emergency Department, adds risk to risk, extending intervention times.
The Lagonegro Hospital, as specified, is home to an active emergency room, therefore in case of
emergency, night-time consultancy by the cardiologist becomes extremely necessary, think of cases of road accidents, unplanned caesarean sections, urgent surgical interventions, etc. Furthermore, it appears that it enjoys the presence of as many as seven specialists, who could easily guarantee a presence distributed over the course of 24 hours, with a more rational and convenient organization compared to the overlapping of shifts during daytime hours. In short, the Lagonegro Hospital, without additional costs, could maintain the same level of performance, with greater safety for the health and lives of citizens.
In light of the above, we ask for an urgent meeting, to be held in Lagonegro, with the
Regional Institutions and the General Management of the AOR “San Carlo” to find immediate
solution, in order to avoid decisions that risk dangerously lowering ed
the health guarantee levels of our territory are irreversible.
