The delays in the construction of the Businco operating rooms? Blame it on "the extremely high technical and technological complexity of the interventions, and on the intense heat of last summer, which, in compliance with legal provisions, forced construction work to be suspended at 12:00 PM." These, according to a press release from Brotzu, are the reasons for the delay in the completion of the operating block at Cagliari's Oncology Hospital.
The initial goal "under the NRRP funding was to complete the earthquake-resistant work (the load-bearing structure) by June," ARNAs said. However, due to the complexity and heat, "an extension was granted until August 10th. This extension allowed the goal to be achieved and the NRRP funding to be secured."
The health authority is thus responding to the attack by the unions (CGIL, FIALS, and CISL), who yesterday, in addition to criticizing the construction site's slow pace, also highlighted the drop in the number of cancer patients transferred to the San Michele hospital (known to everyone as the Brotzu).
General Manager Maurizio Marcias deflects the controversy: "During the renovations, clinical and surgical activities continued, including gynecological and thoracic surgery at the San Michele hospital," he assures. "All patients were regularly cared for, and the necessary clinical and healthcare services were guaranteed, ensuring the continuity and quality of care."
No patient, Brotzu says, without referring to the numbers provided by trade unionists, "has been left behind and all necessary healthcare services have been provided, ensuring adequate responses."
But when will the operating rooms be ready? Arnas is stating: "Completion is scheduled for spring 2027."
Last May, the same health authority wrote: "According to the timetable (...) the installation of the high-tech systems and equipment for the new operating rooms must be completed by December 2026. The consortium of companies involved in the project and the design team had to address critical issues related to the complexity of the existing underground structures and the need to operate in maximum safety conditions, elements that inevitably led to an extension of the preliminary activities." So the heat had nothing to do with it.
In June 2025, Brotzu was still talking. A statement from Arnas Brotzu read: "The investment," it said, "will allow for the modernization and expansion of the current operating block. Block F, currently equipped with two rooms, "will be completely renovated to accommodate four state-of-the-art integrated video operating rooms, equipped with cutting-edge technology that represent the most modern operating rooms in the regional healthcare system, with adequate support spaces to ensure maximum efficiency and safety in surgical procedures." The project is expected to last approximately thirteen months "and will be completed by June 2026."