“We are working on the launch, shortly, of a joint communication campaign on the importance of vaccines against Covid19 and seasonal flu with particular attention to the target of the elderly and the frail”. The Minister of Health, Orazio Schillaci, in an interview with journalists, announced the initiative to continue to stem the pandemic generated by Sars Cov 2 using the weapon that has proved most effective to save lives and decrease the pressure on hospitals . What is certain is that the fourth doses, recommended for the frail, the elderly and at risk categories, remained at stake. The minister also explains that on the use of masks in the hospital “there was never any intention not to extend the ordinance which expired on October 31st. Moreover, in many departments the masks have been used since before Covid arrived “. “I want to remember the importance of continuing the vaccination campaign against Covid-19 and against seasonal flu, above all to ensure the highest level of coverage in fragile and vulnerable people and I am thinking in particular of the elderly and those who suffer from multiple diseases. We face important challenges: that – underlined Schillaci – the chronicity linked to the aging of the population, the challenge of economic sustainability by guaranteeing equitable care, the One health challenge“. Now it is necessary to solve the structural criticalities and this, explained the minister, “means reducing territorial disparities in the provision of services, reducing waiting times for the provision of many services, strengthening prevention, strengthening and enhancing the NHS staff. also in the light of the strengthening of territorial assistance “.
“It is important that attention to health remains high and that resources are adequate to be able to achieve efficiency goals and we are nevertheless aware that the difficult moment our country is experiencing due to the geopolitical crisis – continued the minister – which has brought to high energy, they put families and businesses in serious difficulty. In this context, the NRRR, per a total of over 20 billion for the implementation of the renewal of public health ”. This is because it is also necessary to look beyond Covid and address the other emergencies on the table. The pandemic, he underlines, “in the dramatic situation, has put two elements at the center of attention, health and research. Now it is important that we continue to keep this attention high even with adequate resources. There are urgencies to be solved: I am thinking of oncological screenings and follow-ups skipped due to the Covid emergency which unfortunately will determine an increase in the incidence and severity of oncological pathologies. This is why we are working on solutions that allow the recovery of performance “. Another issue is that of the NRP: “We must make the best use of resources – said the minister -. The premier has given a renewed impetus to the control room, coordinated by Minister Fitto who we will meet on Tuesday ”.
Coming up, “there is the reform of the Irccs, which I believe is very important for the essential role that research plays in guaranteeing better assistance for all, which we hope to approve by the end of the year ”. Then there is the relevant theme of local medicine whose fragility the pandemic has highlighted. “Today the citizens find on the one hand the family doctor, the first aid station, and the emergency rooms which, as is well known, suffer from overcrowding problems, not from today. Problems that must be solved by acting on appropriateness by offering people an alternative to the hospital that is perceived as safe “. Another focus concerns the shortage of personnel and the need to make medical specializations that are now neglected ‘attractive’. “We inherit bad programming: during the pandemic the number of people enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine was increased, however in the last 10 years we have lost at least 50 thousand possible registrations due to the limited number for a long time to 8 thousand registrations when it would have been appropriate to guarantee up to 12-15,000 a year . Just as a reflection is needed, and on this an evaluation will be made with the MUR, on scholarships for specializations: we need – warns the minister – emergency-urgency medicine doctors, emergency room doctors, anesthetists but of specialties considered unattractive and which today register few adhesions. The commitment will be to make these specialties more attractive ”. Furthermore, “iWe also intend to bring young people closer to general medicine. We want to make sure that those who intend to choose specializations that are less considered today, which, on the other hand, the health service strongly need, feel gratified – concludes Schillaci.