Roberto Murgia and Santino Loi, managers of the Croce Verde La Maddalena social cooperative, have issued a letter highlighting the inadequacy of existing agreements with Areus and the resulting "risk of collapse for cooperatives and associations" operating in the 118 emergency service in Sardinia.
The cooperatives and associations "operate under extremely critical economic and management conditions. The current agreements recognized by Areus and funded within the regional system are no longer adequate to cover the costs actually required to ensure continuous, efficient, and safe service." In recent years, they argue, "there has been a widespread and significant increase in expenses: from fuel to medical supplies, from insurance to ambulance maintenance and wear and tear, from leasing to medical devices, to staff salaries and related social security contributions." Since the resources recognized by the agreements have not been updated, "a structural imbalance has arisen that can no longer be ignored or postponed any further."
Murgia and Loi – who describe a situation common to many operators in the sector – therefore ask that "the service be funded in a manner commensurate with the real costs necessary to ensure its continuity and safety."
The two managers of the Croce Verde La Maddalena social cooperative write that if "concrete responses and truly effective measures to ensure the economic sustainability of the service do not arrive by October, the organizations currently providing 118 services in the area may no longer be able to continue their regular operations."