A neighborhood of over 7,000 residents without a single primary care physician, without a single pediatrician. A gap that the new community clinic, inaugurated today in Sant'Elia, aims to fill, bringing healthcare to where the needs are most acute and often most unnoticed.
"A crucial piece was missing: prevention and health promotion for those who, due to various vulnerabilities, forgo treatment," explains Anna Puddu, Councilor for Social Policies for the Municipality of Cagliari. The facility was created as part of the "PN Equità nella Salute 2021-2027" program launched by the Cagliari Local Health Authority in collaboration with the Municipality. The program aims to integrate health and social services in the same space, with a shared timetable that sees the various protection sectors working side by side.
You don't go to the clinic for a specialist visit. Doctors and nurses "take charge" of the patient, analyze the critical issues—financial, isolation, loneliness—and develop personalized solutions.
"The process is simple," emphasizes Aldo Atzori, general director of the Cagliari Local Health Authority. "We want to reach out to those citizens who risk being left out of the healthcare system, reduce bureaucratic burdens, and restore trust."
The Municipality doesn't consider this model an isolated case. "It can be replicated in other neighborhoods, taking into account the heterogeneity of the different contexts," Puddu assures, noting that the administration is working on a network of multipurpose spaces created from closed-off buildings, to be returned to the city through services designed to meet local needs.
