House Hospital: 'Campania is still in the Middle Ages on palliative care'

Rivers of wasted money, delayed cancer diagnoses, and often a failure to provide patients with adequate follow-up. This is the snapshot of the situation in Campania, shared with other southern regions, taken by the House Hospital Onlus Association, directed by Sergio Canzanella. And Canzanella himself will be interviewed on Wednesday, July 10th in Rome ahead of the #MaratonaPattoSalute (HealthPathMarathon). For the first time, the Ministry of Health has initiated a participatory sharing process by listening to representatives of the three pillars of the healthcare system: healthcare professionals, companies, and patient associations. "Campania," says Canzanella, "is a region where cancer patients still have to endure the pain of bureaucracy. The pain of illness is too often compounded by the inability to obtain palliative care in hospices or at home. What House Hospital Onlus is fighting is first and foremost a battle for civilization, but it is also a battle for an effective and efficient healthcare system. The paradox is the same as ever: if we created hospice beds, not only could we restore dignity and relief to those who suffer, but we would also generate significant savings for the public coffers. I wouldn't want this to be the problem." The numbers don't lie: while 400 beds (including intensive care, intensive care, and medicine) cost citizens €175.2 million, the same goes for hospices (where adequate care is provided in a much more peaceful environment than a hospital) with a total cost of €36.792 million. That's a saving of €138.508 million per year. "Regarding simultaneous care," Canzanella concludes, "the situation in Campania is far from optimal. In the region, diagnoses are often late and patients are unable to receive adequate follow-up care—an intolerable situation."