Yesterday, the Orizzonte Comune council group presented a motion to the Regional Council to structurally address the depopulation of Sardinia's inland and marginalized areas, linking it to one of the most pressing issues: the right to healthcare and essential services.
"Depopulation is not just a demographic issue, but an existential one. It concerns the very possibility of guaranteeing a dignified future for our communities," stated Sandro Porcu, group leader and first signatory of the motion, which also included the signatures of councilors Cau, Cozzolino, Deriu, Agus, Cocco, and Pizzuto. The motion calls for the establishment of a permanent fund for municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants, particularly those lacking healthcare services or hosting hospitals in disadvantaged areas. This includes approximately 160 municipalities and over 275,000 inhabitants, including 27,000 children and adolescents of pediatric age.

Fund Objective – The Fund will finance interventions aimed at strengthening public healthcare in the most vulnerable areas, through: incentives for doctors, pediatricians, and healthcare professionals working in or relocating to disadvantaged municipalities (contributions for housing, clinics, and family services); resources for municipalities for the Fund's Objective. The Fund will finance interventions aimed at strengthening public healthcare in the most vulnerable areas, through: incentives for doctors, pediatricians, and healthcare professionals working in or relocating to disadvantaged municipalities (contributions for housing, clinics, and family services); resources for municipalities for the establishment and management of municipal medical clinics.

The regional fund may be activated following an experimental phase, to be implemented in "sample territories", in order to test its effects and optimize its strategies and effectiveness.
"There is no permanence without fundamental services, and healthcare is the first pillar of civilization. Every country that loses a doctor or a healthcare provider loses a piece of its dignity. It is our duty to intervene now, with courage and vision," Porcu added. The motion also aims to strengthen the role of mayors, the state's closest bulwark, providing them with concrete tools to combat the desertification of services and ensure equal rights for citizens of urban and inland areas. "This is not just a political act, but a moral one: we want a more just, more equitable Sardinia, closer to its communities. No Sardinian citizen should feel like a second-class citizen, especially in times of need and care."