Rome. The ongoing reorganization at the San Camillo de Lellis Hospital in Rieti, with the introduction of "clinicalization" and the University's massive and unrestrained involvement in department management, poses a serious risk of management decline. While innovation and new, young doctors are promised, this model, as it is being implemented, risks jeopardizing the already challenging situation of the Rieti healthcare system, replacing stable, experienced management staff, who have successfully completed public competitions, with university staff or temporary staff appointed by the Rectors. This is what we read in a joint statement from AAROI EMAC Lazio , ANAAO ASSOMED Lazio, FP CGIL Doctors and SSN Managers, CIMO FESMED Federation (ANPO-ASCOTI, CIMO, CIMOP, FESMED, CISL Doctors Federation Lazio, FASSID (AIP AC-SIMET-SNR-SINAFO-AUPI), FVM Federation of Veterinarians and Doctors, UIL-FPL Regional Coordination of Doctors, Veterinarians, Healthcare Managers.
The consequence of such an imposed organization—the note continues—is an inevitable source of conflict between professionals, a lack of career attractiveness for medical management within the National Health Service, and a consequent increase in the usual Rome-centric mobility of both staff and patients. The Rieti Company Act is clearly in contradiction with current legislation (517/99).
The transformation of entire Complex Operating Units with the introduction of University management - the note continues - will also aggravate the well-known structural deficiencies and will cause further financial inefficiencies, with an inevitable increase in costs that will weigh on the already deficit-ridden company budgets.
Without a genuine dialogue with all stakeholders who can express the real needs of the region, we risk creating ineffective services and inefficient "top management" roles, which would be useless to the company unless selected through public competitions, the result of proper planning that respects contractual balances and avoids unjustified disparities. We ask the Lazio Region for clear answers: is clinicalization a comprehensive and planned strategy? How will internal professional skills be protected? What guarantees of transparency and regularity will be ensured?
We don't reject university funding, but we demand transparency, respect for the rules, and a shared approach. Only in this way can the Rieti healthcare system truly improve, avoiding a weakening of expertise and sloppy management of services. It's also clear that without responses—the statement concludes—our trade unions will not simply be paying spectators.
It's important to understand more about this clinicalization, but there are too many unknowns and uncertainties. It's unclear whether university doctors can replace experienced ones without creating problems. The healthcare system is already struggling.
Hospital doctors who, after decades of sacrifice trying to build a decent career, are swept away by academics who see public hospitals as lifelines in a bloated academic environment.
And all this, without a shred of competition, just with a handshake between rectors and general directors.
I wonder what will happen to the younger hospital colleagues!