The new extraordinary territorial community clinic (ASCoT) in the province of Oristano, opened today in Ghilarza, at the headquarters in Corso Umberto I 180, starts amid protests. As was to be expected, the two-week absence of the family doctor, Dr. Barca, meant that as early as 6.30 in the morning there were patients waiting for their turn .
They came from different countries, considering that the communication of the ASL, relaunched on its social page by the Municipality of Ghilarza, was very clear and that is that the service was aimed only at patients without a general practitioner residing in the municipalities of Ghilarza, Abbasanta, Aidomaggiore , Norbello and Sedilo and who could be received every Thursday from 9 to 14. Information that evidently turned out to be incorrect, taking into account that around 9.30 the doctor on duty gave the same patient the task of acting as collaborator for relations with the other patients (something anomalous and never seen), and announced, amid protests, that he would see up to 40 patients and all residents of Ghilarza, with an invitation to the others to go to Busachi. All this contrary to the official news.
And while at 9.45 we are waiting for a patient who has been inside for almost half an hour to leave the surgery, it is clear that 40 people cannot be seen in peace. Added to this was the non-functioning of PC and printer that no one evidently had the kindness to check before activating the service.
The comments . «It is third world healthcare – enraged Maria Pia Mugheddu who has been queuing up since very early -. It was logical that there should be a lot of people given the doctor's absence for 15 days». Francesco Arizu increases the dose: «It is clear that the presence of a substitute once a week is not enough, at least 2 would be needed». Equally angry is Giovanni Antonio Manca , former city councilor and member of the Committee in defense of local health services: «We are far beyond fruit - he says - if there are Ascots, and many are operating in our province, it means that there are problems everywhere due to the absence of the general practitioner and therefore of primary care. It is an indecency - he underlines - which affects and concerns the weakest and one should only be ashamed of this situation".
The reality is that for very large towns such as Ghilarza, the Ascot appears to be an undersized service , if it is true that the extraordinary outpatient clinics of the territorial community are intended for patients without the general medical service and guarantee the same services offered free of charge by the family doctor, i.e. medical prescriptions, urgent and non-urgent visits, renewal of therapeutic plans, collection of home needs, inclusion in ADI, scheduled home activities, scheduled supplementary services, sickness certificates and any other service recognized by national collective agreements.