And now who will save the rescuers? The association truly needs a life-saving intervention. And there's no time to waste: the risk is losing precious help. In Uras, altruism meets cruelty.
Dea Soccorso, the volunteer organization active throughout the Terralba area and beyond, providing medical transport, constantly rushing day and night to save lives, risks being unable to respond to calls from those in need of assistance or transportation from one hospital to another. The only ambulance is at risk of being permanently sidelined due to a scam. The vehicle stopped last April due to an engine failure. The volunteers therefore decided to purchase a used engine online— a way to save some money.
"We looked for an engine with all the features of the one in our vehicle," explains association president Lucia Porru. "A reconditioned one cost six thousand euros, while a used one had very few kilometers, 1,200. At that point, after making arrangements with the company, we made the transfer. However, the engine never arrived. Unfortunately, the website we used ripped us off."
A few weeks ago, the association filed a complaint: "The investigation revealed that this wasn't the first time this company had defrauded customers," Porru says. "But now we're no longer operational. This scam has deprived us of all our liquidity, seriously jeopardizing the association's survival. When they call us, we can only say that our vehicle isn't operational. It breaks my heart."
The association has also found another used vehicle to avoid interrupting its operations, but purchasing it requires significant resources. Now the Unisal committee, formed a few weeks ago in response to the health emergency, and to which Dea Soccorso has asked for help, is working to launch a fundraiser to purchase either a used engine or ambulance. "None of us can ignore this," say the committee's founders, Laura Dessì and Elena Caddeo. "We must help Dea Soccorso get back on track immediately, given that it has always been a vital point of reference for the entire Oristano area. We cannot allow the ruthlessness of a few criminals to dampen the engine of solidarity. . The fundraiser will be promoted on the GoFundMe platform."
