There is an alarm over the shortage of family doctors in Sardinia : in fact, there are 500 white coats missing from the roll call on the Island , a figure that is also destined to increase in consideration of the upcoming retirements . And the phenomenon , if before it only affected the small municipalities of Oristano, Ogliastra, Barbagia and Sulcis-Iglesient, now also affects the large cities such as Cagliari and Sassari , with the increasingly pressing need to put a stop to it.

The issue is being discussed starting today in Cagliari, where the Regional Congress of the Italian Society of General Practitioners and Primary Care opens, scheduled until tomorrow at the Holiday Inn Hotel.

" By 2026, another 333 doctors are expected to retire ," explains Carlo Piredda, Secretary of SIMG Sardinia, " a significant percentage that could worsen if some of them retire early compared to the age of 70. The average age of Sardinian doctors is, in fact, among the highest in Italy, which in turn has the oldest medical class in Europe. Each general practitioner must therefore cover multiple areas at the same time , increasing a workload already burdened by bureaucratic aspects that go beyond their expertise. In short, community medicine is at risk of extinction."

"In cities like Isili, San Gavino, Iglesias, Lanusei, the weakening of hospitals with the chronic lack of staff has also deprived the general practitioner of hospital support - adds Carlo Piredda - The impetus that the PNRR wants to give to local medicine in Sardinia risks being unfulfilled: of the 50 community homes planned, in fact, not even one is operational at the moment. Furthermore, the closure of medical services has also deprived the Region of a plan for the care of the tourist population, which in the summer months significantly multiplies the catchment area of the regional health system. The general practitioners who remained in Sardinia, therefore, are increasingly overworked and struggling to manage their duties".