"The communication regarding the extremely severe saturation situation at Brotzu confirms exactly what Cimo Sardegna reported after the publication of the regional targets assigned to the general managers, which were increasingly stringent without addressing the real problem facing Cagliari's healthcare system: the shortage of beds." This was stated by Emanuele Cabras, regional deputy secretary of the Cimo doctors' union and company secretary at Brotzu itself. Representing his colleagues in white coats, he confirmed the crisis—announced and then downplayed—of beds at Sardinia's main hospital: the general management of Arnas wrote to the Region, citing overbooking in ten departments and a "patient safety" that could not be guaranteed.
According to Cimo Sardegna, the situation demonstrates how the metropolitan hospital system is operating under extreme organizational strain: "The greater Cagliari area is suffering from an estimated shortage of approximately 40 orthopedic beds, of which approximately 35 are attributable to Local Health Authority 8. Under these conditions, overcrowding in emergency rooms, a slowdown in hospital admissions, and difficulty ensuring timely surgical procedures are inevitable," the union states in a statement.
Cabras emphasizes that the criticality also directly affects regional targets for managing femur fractures within 48 hours: "We can't expect ever-increasing standards if there's a shortage of beds to admit patients. The problem isn't the commitment of healthcare professionals, who are shouldering enormous workloads, but the system's reduced care capacity."
For this reason, Cimo Sardegna is asking the Region to formally include the reopening of missing orthopedic beds among the objectives of the general managers of the Cagliari area. "Even before numerical indicators, we need functioning facilities, beds, staff, and organization. Without these interventions, we risk shifting responsibilities onto companies and professionals that instead arise from planning and structural shortcomings."
The proposal to reactivate a structured Orthogeriatrics program at the Marino Hospital is thus made: "A modern Orthogeriatrics department would improve the care of the frail elderly, ease the pressure on acute care hospitals, and make metropolitan trauma management more efficient."
"The Brotzu situation demonstrates that we are not dealing with episodic critical issues but with a structural problem that requires immediate intervention and real healthcare planning," concludes Cabras.