No airline is authorized to bring the precious radiopharmaceutical to Cagliari . Thus, a bureaucratic and logistical obstacle has been blocking access to a crucial diagnostic test for months: brain tomoscintigraphy. At the Nuclear Medicine department of Arnas Brotzu, more than 150 patients are currently on the waiting list due to the impossibility of finding the necessary radiopharmaceutical, which – as explained by the health company itself – is produced outside of Sardinia.
A situation that has thrown dozens of families into despair. Among them is that of SI, who recounts the long ordeal they went through to find a diagnosis for their father: "The apprehension grows more and more every day, the wait weighs like a millstone on our shoulders. A year ago he started to have significant neurological symptoms: tremors, discomfort, memory loss. So the neurologist decided to look into the case further, scheduling a check-up for the following year. Twelve months later the situation has not changed, so he gave us the referral for the "famous" test, which is essential to have a diagnosis and consequently have adequate therapy."
With the paper in hand (and a lot of trust) however, "the first problems arrived". "We couldn't book because the codes for the visits had been changed recently and they weren't recognized during the booking phase". But, SI explains, the real odyssey began later, when Brotzu "told us that the machine wasn't available. The only option? Wait or try in Sassari. But we waited". The stalemate didn't change even when the equipment was fixed. "We couldn't do anything anyway because they told us that the drug was missing. And in the meantime my father was getting worse".
Arnas Brotzu, questioned on the issue, explained that the blocking of the tests was caused by an overlapping of critical issues . First of all, the update of the diagnostic equipment for brain tomoscintigraphy - in particular the replacement of the gamma cameras - to be completed by March in order not to lose the PNRR funds , led to a temporary suspension of the activity. Added to this was the impossibility of receiving the radiopharmaceutical , which is not produced in Sardinia but must be transported from outside the region. The air carrier in charge, however, did not have the necessary authorization for the transport of radioactive materials. That said, it seems that the situation is reaching a turning point: "We have just closed an agreement with the supplier company - they say from Brotzu - according to which the radiopharmaceutical will arrive in Alghero the evening before, thanks to ITA Airways which has the authorization for transport . The material will then be transferred to Cagliari the following morning, in time to perform the tests".
Services are scheduled to resume the week of May 19 , with the first appointments scheduled for the 22nd. In addition, the hospital is implementing an extraordinary plan to reduce the enormous waiting list, including performing tests outside of normal operating hours.
