«Dear Union,
I'm writing to share what happened to my 9-year-old son, hoping to spark public reflection and action by regional institutions on a serious flaw in our healthcare system.
On Saturday, August 22nd, around 7 p.m., my son had a minor accident at the park. After an initial visit to the emergency medical service, by 4 a.m. Sunday morning the situation had worsened: his eye was swollen, painful, and watering incessantly. We then headed to the Brotzu Emergency Room. The doctor, very kindly, explained to us that she could provide a pediatrician's appointment but not an eye doctor's appointment, as the facility doesn't have an ophthalmologist available for emergencies.
The clinical picture—corroborated by both the emergency medical service and the Brotzu doctor himself—most likely suggests the presence of a foreign body in the eye. Despite this, no hospital in Campidano was able to perform the examination: pediatric eye emergencies do not appear to be available in our area, and the hospital only accepts patients 14 years of age and older.
The only response was supportive medication and a postponement until Monday morning. I wonder: is it really acceptable that in 2026, a 9-year-old child should be left with a suspected foreign body in his eye for 48 hours without any specialist intervention, just because it's a Sunday?
I'm not demanding preferential treatment, but it's unacceptable that the Sardinia Region is leaving the region completely unattended to pediatric emergencies of this kind. The hope is that publicly denouncing this fact will serve to move the right authorities, so that we never again find ourselves faced with such responses when the health of our children is at stake.
Barbara S.
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