«For over three months the magnetic resonance imaging activity of the Radiology Operating Unit of the Ozieri Civil Hospital has been suspended. Yet another slap in the face to the patients of Northern Sardinia is an unacceptable delay, due to the failure to install a new machine, already purchased, whose installation is subordinated to adaptation works of the structure, which have not yet been carried out, even though the funds would already be been allocated and the project approved. All this has led to the lengthening of the already long waiting lists and the cancellation of hundreds of reservations."
This was reported by the regional councilor of the Five Star Movement Desirè Manca who adds: «Patients cannot wait months to save their lives. An alternative solution had to be found at the same time as the blocking of activities, immediately, and not further aggravate the situation faced by the only hospital in north-west Sardinia, the Aou of Sassari, where waiting times are unacceptable given that must meet the requests of the entire Province to which it is unable to respond within adequate timescales, while in the meantime people are dying."
Desirè Manca continues: «The communication from the Sardinia ATS dates back to 7 July in which it was made known to all the departments involved that due to a technical fault the activity would be suspended. Since that day, doctors have had their hands tied and patients have been deprived of a service of fundamental importance for the area. I think of all those who do not own a car, of those who have had to book at another hospital with an inevitable increase in waiting times, and also of those who have been forced to go private, paying up to 400 euros, because they could not afford to wait without worsening their health conditions".
«A hospital that cannot use the diagnostic activity service is just an empty box. This is what public health facilities have become - says Desirè Manca. «Faced with this catastrophic picture, President Solinas and his majority have even thought about building new hospitals, new brick boxes presumably without the capacity to intervene. It would be sufficient - concludes the councilor - to closely observe the critical issues that are destroying all departments to understand the totally wrong direction we are going. It is necessary to guarantee to the existing structures the availability of the necessary machinery and all the equipment, especially organic, to allow the machine not to run, but at least to function".
