The expansion of the short-term intensive observation ward at Brotzu, from 6 to 14 beds? "A bluff, just propaganda." The clash between the deputy group leader of the Brothers of Italy party in the Regional Council, Fausto Piga, and the general director of Brotzu, Maurizio Marcias, continues. The Melonian maintains that "dismantling, or dismembering" the ward inaugurated just a few months ago, with just six beds (it should have been 12) "is an irresponsible choice. We are faced with yet another illusion created by President Todde , where propaganda replaces planning and complicates the lives of patients and healthcare workers."
The manager replied: "There are no plans to dismantle the Obi, let alone downsize it. On the contrary, the organizational plan calls for a significant increase in the number of beds, from the current six to fourteen . This will be joined by the future six beds in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. This objective fact unequivocally refutes the distorted image of an alleged closure or reduction of the service."
But Piga counters: "A response that only adds fuel to the fire. Enough with the bluffing. Marcias should focus on patient safety, not the government's image concerns. Even the General Management now appears to be contaminated by President Todde's dangerous pronouncements."
Announcing 14 beds instead of 6, for Piga, "is an illusion. The 8 additional beds touted by the Director General are just a political ploy: they will be located in the old Endoscopy Unit, distant from the other 6. It is madness to create a single department divided into two separate blocks. With the current staffing shortage, where do they expect to find another 4 doctors, 14 nurses, and 12 healthcare assistants? Those beds will inevitably remain closed, existing only on paper," continues Piga. "No one questions the value of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, whose goals we share. We object to this reckless and improvised approach: there are already spaces ready and suitable for 4 beds in Pediatrics, a capacity proportionate to the real regional needs. Instead, they chose to create disorder. In 2025, the Brotzu Emergency Room recorded 67,665 admissions (47,245 adults and 20,420 pediatric patients): numbers that demonstrate how distorting the Obi is a direct attack on patient safety. We will file an urgent inquiry and formally request access to the records.
(Unioneonline/E.Fr.)
