Another hospital department is at risk in Gallura, after the Emergency Room in Tempio, and the unions (CGIL and UIL) are asking the Prefect of Sassari for an urgent meeting, involving the President of the Region, Alessandra Todde.
Tensions have risen following an internal memo from the Olbia Local Health Authority (ASL) regarding the Mobi (Low-Intensity Observation Medicine) unit at Paolo Merlo Hospital in La Maddalena. The service, designed to manage acute patients leaving the Emergency Room on-site, is at risk of closure. The unit cannot coexist with the Community Hospital, currently under construction. The Mobi (Low-Intensity Observation Medicine) unit provides services for acute patients suffering from respiratory failure, heart failure, appendicitis, cholecystitis, and surgical conditions. Patients admitted since April 1 may be transferred to Olbia.
CGIL FP regional secretary Jessica Cardia: "We cannot stand by and watch while the citizens of La Maddalena's right to health is put at risk. Suspending regular admissions to the Paolo Merlo hospital would be an unacceptable mistake. The safety of an island community is at stake. We demand urgent responses from the Region and the Gallura Local Health Authority. Our hospital must be strengthened, not dismantled. We have requested an urgent meeting with President Todde."
The trade unions are also investigating a contract allegedly signed by the Olbia Local Health Authority (ASL) to a former "payroll" doctor for a six-month employment contract in Emergency Medicine at Olbia Hospital. According to rumors, the total amount is estimated to be over €70,000. The trade unions are verifying whether the person listed in the contract has an equivalent degree and is registered with the Medical Association.