SOS parents of children who have received heart transplants at Monaldi: "Our children abandoned in an inadequate clinic"

A harsh and heartfelt accusation comes from the parents of children who have received heart transplants at Monaldi, who in a note addressed to the President of the Campania Region Vincenzo De Luca and to the Director General for Health Protection Antonio Postiglione, denounce a situation of serious discomfort and abandonment. The protest is ignited on the eve of the ceremony for the 30th anniversary of the Regional Transplant Center, scheduled to take place in the hospital's main hall.

“While the principals celebrate with a grand gala, our transplanted children wander the corridors,” the parents write, emphasizing that the children, still minors, have not been included in the expected health care pathway and are currently entrusted to an adult clinic. There, they explain, only one doctor with pediatric skills works, but there is no space for possible hospitalizations or an adequate treatment plan.

Pina, mother of a child who received a transplant at less than two years old, says: “The only department that performed pediatric transplants has been closed, and now not even routine check-ups for those who have already received transplants are guaranteed.

The families report that their requests have been ignored by the Management of the Azienda dei Colli, which manages the Monaldi hospital. Diana, mother of little Ilaria, who received a transplant during the pandemic, emphasizes: “We don’t know who has the necessary pediatric expertise. We don’t know where our children would be hospitalized in an emergency and who would ensure their clinical pathway.”

The situation is made even more bitter by the coincidence with the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of the Regional Transplant Center. Aurora's father, who received a transplant as a child, says he is indignant: “They don’t have time to meet us or answer an email, but they find time to organize ceremonies. It’s a punch in the stomach: while they pay each other compliments, our children are abandoned. The beautiful words on paper don’t translate into concrete actions.”

Parents ask for immediate intervention to ensure adequate care for transplanted children. “These little patients cannot be left out of the planned pathways,” we read in the note, which calls for urgent action by the Campania Region to remedy a situation that puts the health and future of many children at risk. The party at Monaldi will be held, but the appeal of the families remains: “There is nothing to celebrate if our children are abandoned.”