The UIL convention held at the “Ramada” hotel in Naples opened with the choral singing of the national anthem, and the issues of the national health system were at the center of the debate. “From the shortage of health personnel to waiting lists”, this was the title of the important meeting that saw the participation of the national and regional leaders of the UIL and representatives of the professional orders. The shortage of health personnel, the interminable waiting lists for visits and clinical tests, the migration of doctors and health professionals abroad, the limited number of places to enter university, the aging of the population, the new health pensioners who are not replaced and the need to strengthen local health care and make homes places of care, were the most debated topics.
For Nicola Di Donna, Secretary of the UIL Federation of Local Authorities of Napoli, the long waiting lists can only be reduced thanks to new hires: "The only way to recover the waiting lists," Di Donna said, "is to make new hires in the healthcare sector."
Paolo Esposito, President of the Interprovincial Order of Physiotherapists of Naples, Avellino, Benevento, and Caserta, explained how it would be possible to immediately reduce waiting times, at least for rehabilitation therapies, which currently require waiting times of over a year: "As the Interprovincial Order of Physiotherapists of Naples, Avellino, Benevento, and Caserta," Esposito stated, "we have emphasized the need to optimize healthcare spending by including physiotherapists in the evaluation units and to achieve an expansion of local services as required by Ministerial Decree 77."
Rita Longobardi, General Secretary of the UIL Federazione Poteri Locali, denounced the extreme working conditions and grueling shifts that healthcare workers are often forced to work, and sometimes they are even attacked.
Given the challenging working conditions in the healthcare sector, Teresa Rea, President of the Order of Nursing Professions of Naples, believes the profession must be further promoted: "We call on trade unions," Dr. Rea stated, "to ensure that nursing professions are promoted in all companies."
Finally, Pierpaolo Bombardieri, Secretary General of UIL, attacked the recent approval of differentiated autonomy because it risks widening the inequalities between north and south and further worsening the healthcare offer. “The position of UIL is that differentiated autonomy – stressed Dr. Bombardieri – risks widening even more the inequalities that we register in our country between north and south. In particular on healthcare, but I would like to mention on work, on education, on assistance and on the dignity of life that must be guaranteed to the citizens of this country regardless of where they are born and where they live”.
EDITORIAL TEAM
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