The urgent purchase of 130 fans, water bottles, and window tinting film. At Businco (and also at San Michele), the heat emergency is being addressed with emergency solutions. Because the air conditioning system failure is serious, perhaps more serious than expected, and a return to normalcy is not expected anytime soon. So much so that "as a last resort," an internal directive is considering "rescheduling access for patients who are not experiencing any harm during their diagnosis and treatment process, on a day when the problem is likely to be resolved or, at least, mitigated by the full implementation of the measures."
For weeks, cancer patients awaiting chemotherapy and staff (doctors, nurses, and healthcare assistants) have been dealing with high temperatures in the wards. The situation has become unbearable in recent days due to the muggy heat that has enveloped Cagliari: the air conditioners aren't working, and those rooms are gasping for air. This is further unjust suffering for the patients.
The protest letters had had no effect. The press coverage of the case prompted an inspection by the NAS Carabinieri and specialists from the ASL's Spresal (Health and Safety Agency) , who remained at the Businco for almost the entire day yesterday. And now, internal communications from ARNAS reveal improvised "strategies" and the origin of the problem.
In the evening, it was decided to purchase 130 fans for Businco: a (large) number based on rooms with unbreathable air and available outlets. Furthermore, "it was decided that the warehouse would provide an adequate number of bottled water to facilities experiencing significant thermal discomfort, not only for patients and their companions, but also for workers," and that "the public works department would purchase and apply window tinting film to the windows most exposed to sunlight."
But how did this total emergency arise? At the Oncology Department, "inspections have revealed that some of the systems, particularly those serving the most affected wings, are significantly outdated and require structural modernization in the medium term." That is, the air conditioning system is old—it won't be fixed in a few hours—and was only discovered because it's hard to breathe. At the San Michele Hospital (known as Brotzu, for all to see), "a reduction in cooling capacity was found, likely resulting in uncomfortable conditions in some areas." The cause? Some are pointing to ongoing work, but the connection hasn't been established.
