The recent case of an 11-year-old girl from Baronia, forced along with her mother to face an obstacle course to get a diagnosis for a sudden pain in her foot, has had a happy ending. After days of waiting, unavailable departments, and a lack of answers, a solution finally came thanks to the direct intervention of Tempio Hospital.
The solution
The parents' appeal, reported by the newspaper, was crucial in this regard. Ottaviano Contu, head of the radiology department at the Tempio Pausania hospital, managed to contact the family and arrange for the pediatrician's prescribed test. So, yesterday morning, mother and daughter presented themselves at the Gallura hospital, where specialist Andrea Cechini performed an ultrasound of the little girl's foot. The results finally clarified the source of the pain: it's a bothersome but not serious condition that can be resolved with appropriate treatment. "They were incredibly kind, and for that I have to thank them, along with everyone else who helped us," said the mother, relieved after these days of deep concern.
The questions
The happy ending doesn't erase what happened. The story began with a sudden, seemingly trivial pain, which quickly turned into a medical ordeal. After the pediatrician's visit and the prescription for an ultrasound, the first obstacle was the CUP, unable to provide a timely appointment. The child's worsening condition prompted the mother to turn to the hospital in Nuoro, where, however, the lack of a pediatric emergency room and the long waits made it impossible to obtain care. The subsequent attempt in Olbia also ended in failure, with bouncing between departments and unavailable staff.
The Tempio breakthrough has brought peace of mind, but it raises several questions. Why didn't the regional booking system direct the family to an available facility? What went wrong with the mechanism that should guarantee rapid access to services? These questions remain unanswered and call into question the organization of Sardinia's healthcare system. While it's true that this story ended on the best possible terms, it's equally clear that a newspaper article shouldn't be necessary to secure a visit.
Fabrizio Ungredda
