The regional opposition is calling for an urgent convocation of the Sixth Commission, and Ugo Cappellacci, president of the Chamber's Social Affairs and Health Committee, is submitting an urgent question to the Minister of Health.
Following the Constitutional Court's ruling that rejected the (non) reform that led to the appointment of a commissioner to administer all Sardinia's healthcare institutions, and the subsequent statement from the Region officially declaring the "ASL Commissioners dismissed as of December 25th," chaos reigns.
The opposition is protesting, and a statement from the minority group leaders, Paolo Truzzu, Angelo Cocciu, Antonello Peru, Umberto Ticca, and Stefano Schirru, announced that "we have asked the President of the Regional Council, Piero Comandini, to urgently convene the Sixth Commission so that the interim Health Councilor, Alessandra Todde, can report on the chaos resulting from the recent Constitutional Court ruling (no. 198/2025) and the subsequent communication from the Department's Director General , as well as on what actions the Regional Council intends to take to restore serenity and stability to the entire Sardinian healthcare system."
"As of December 25, 2025, the mandates of the extraordinary commissioners of the regional health service companies must be considered terminated." The communication arrived shortly after 9:00 PM on a post-Christmas Saturday evening. The document, sent to the 8 ASL (Local Health Authorities), the Cagliari and Sassari AOUs, the Brotzu Hospital, and the Areus Hospital, was sent by Luciano Giovanni Oppo, director general of the regional health department.
Cappellacci writes from Rome: "I have submitted an urgent question to the Minister of Health to request an immediate review of compliance with the Essential Levels of Care (LEA) in Sardinia, in light of the institutional and administrative chaos that is paralyzing the regional healthcare system." "The situation created by President Alessandra Todde," Cappellacci emphasizes, "has created an unprecedented governance vacuum: healthcare agencies without fully legitimate leadership, uncertain decision-making chains, and acts exposed to the concrete risk of cancellation or nullification. This is not an abstract hypothesis, but a realistic and predictable scenario. This chaos adds to already known and structural criticalities—waiting lists, staff shortages, territorial inequalities—exacerbating the risk that the essential healthcare services to which citizens are entitled will no longer be guaranteed. With this question, I ask the Minister whether he is aware of the situation, whether he intends to strengthen verification of the Essential Levels of Care (LEA), and what urgent measures he intends to take to prevent a compromise of the right to healthcare." It is important to clarify that, if the administrative chaos were to result in a violation of the essential health care levels (LEA), a constitutional issue would arise, potentially triggering the legal protections provided for by law. Healthcare, he concludes, is neither propaganda nor a political testing ground. It is an essential service that requires stability, competence, and strict compliance with the rules. If extraordinary measures are adopted, it will not be a political choice by the government, but the consequence of a foregone conclusion of regional management.
Protests are also coming from the unions: "We are facing a delicate and complex transition, which risks having significant impacts on the organization of healthcare institutions, the functioning of services, and the working conditions of staff," writes the CISL Funzione Pubblica of Sassari. " As CISL FP , we express concern about a situation that, if prolonged, could lead to uncertainty and management stalemate, with decision-making delays that public healthcare cannot afford, especially in a phase already marked by staff shortages, overloaded services, and structural difficulties. This concern is the same one we hear daily from healthcare institutions, among workers, who are experiencing this phase with apprehension. Staff fear that the current situation could result in further delays and organizational bottlenecks and, above all, the lack of a fully empowered counterparty to negotiate bargaining matters, a prerequisite for ensuring proper labor relations, the payment of contractual resources, the implementation of salary and career progression, and, more generally, the protection of workers' rights, with direct consequences for the quality of services provided to citizens.
(Unioneonline/D)
