Minister Grillo in Naples: 'Department closed for the holiday? We will ascertain the responsibilities and act accordingly'

Health Minister Giulia Grillo toured Naples' hospitals. Her first visit was at 10:30 a.m. at Monaldi Hospital. Commissioner Antonio Giordano and members of his staff welcomed her. Upon entering the facility, the minister asked the commissioner how things were going, and he replied, "Please be careful." The minister was accompanied by M5S regional councilor Valeria Ciarambino. She met with the mothers of children who had received heart transplants and were awaiting lifesaving surgery. "But here, at the southernmost hospital, this activity has been suspended for almost two years," explained the parents' spokesperson, Dafne Palmieri. Grillo describes the situation as serious: "My intention is to give my full commitment, but the outcome also depends on the level of collaboration with all stakeholders. To bridge the gap with the North, we need a major political push, which I haven't seen. And greater awareness among citizens, who must demand their rights but aren't aware of how healthcare is organized, namely that it's the Regions that appoint managers, sometimes in a biased manner, as demonstrated by what happened in Basilicata, where even candidates who didn't have a recommendation for a job were considered a liability."

Next stop at Cardarelli, among the stretchers in the emergency room. Over 70 patients are hospitalized under observation. “Today is paradise,” said Ciarambino smiling. The minister was guided in the visit by manager Ciro Verdoliva, with the health director Franco Paradiso. Together they visited haemodynamics, emergency medicine, gastroenterology, general surgery and trauma center. “The hospital is also suffering because the reorganization of the network has not occurred in a coherent way,” explained the minister.

Also scheduled for today is the private face-to-face meeting with governor Vincenzo De Luca and the trip to the Ospedale del Mare, which is half open and where the vascular surgery department closed for 12 hours last weekend to coincide with the party of the head physician Francesco Pignatelli. This circumstance is what prompted Grillo to come to the capital and send the NAS carabinieri. “At first it seemed like fake news, my presence is also connected to this. It is not enough to say I am sorry. There are various degrees of responsibility, which we will ascertain, and we will act accordingly”.