A dental practice without health permits and stocked with expired medications was seized this morning by Carabinieri from the Cagliari NAS in Fluminimaggiore. The owner, a 73-year-old dentist living in the town, was reported at large for a series of serious irregularities.
The intervention was triggered as part of an audit to ensure compliance with a mayoral ordinance issued in recent months , after tests revealed the presence of the Legionella bacteria in the facility's water system.
Despite the health authority's order requiring the immediate closure of the business, the Carabinieri of the Anti-Adulteration and Health Unit—together with the Hygiene and Public Health Service of the Sulcis Iglesiente Local Health Authority—found that the practice was still operational.
The investigations revealed an alarming picture: the practice was neither authorized nor properly registered as a healthcare facility, and was nevertheless being used for dental services. Consequently, the military placed the premises under preventive seizure, along with the medical equipment in use, including dental chairs, scalpels, sterilizers, and other specialized instruments.
But the most serious discovery concerns the presence of numerous expired drugs, including three pre-filled syringes and 85 vials of anesthetic with batches that were over twenty years out of date.
This suggests the possession of faulty or imperfect medicines, with the possibility – yet to be confirmed – that some of these were actually administered to patients.
The entire activity is part of the systematic checks conducted by the NAS to protect public health. The investigation will continue to verify further responsibilities, including failure to comply with health regulations and the proper management of medical waste generated within the practice.
(Unioneonline/Fr.Me.)
