Ulss Dolomiti is committed to finding all possible solutions to ensure continuity of care in the area that is in crisis, especially on days before holidays and holidays, due to the lack of doctors. This is due to the fact – explains the Health Authority – that scholarships for specializations have been extended to address the shortage of doctors at a national level. Many young medical graduates, also working in our area, have therefore chosen to take this opportunity that will bring new trained specialists over the course of a few years. In the immediate future, however, the continuity of care service, historically chosen by young doctors as a gym while waiting to enter specialty schools or to take up the position of general practitioner, found itself unguarded.
With the terminations communicated by the professionals in this last period, Ulss Dolomiti, from November, will be able to count on only 20 professionals. For this reason, it conducted a careful analysis of the activity data of the continuity of care centers, but also of the orography of the territory and the location of the offices, verifying, for example, that the medical service is carried out mainly through telephone consultations.
An organizational proposal emerged from the analysis of the data and from the comparison with general practitioners and continuity of care in the area – the Ulss continues – which was shared with the Executive of the Conference of Mayors, to cover as much as possible the territory, also by adopting alternative solutions.
Thanks to the availability of general practitioners and some continuity doctors, shifts for the long weekend of November 1st were immediately covered in all active offices and a solution was found to cover the territory up to half November, with the intention, in the meantime, of building new proposals. For the upcoming weekend and for November 1st, therefore, assistance is guaranteed as usual in all active offices. From Tuesday 2 November to 14 November, continuity of care will be organized as follows:
DISTRICT 1 BELLUNO (access by telephone appointment at 118)
● Confirmed the entire activity (night, day before holidays and holidays) of the offices of Belluno, Caprile, Val di Zoldo, Cortina.
● The activity of the Canale d’Agordo office has been confirmed except on the nights (from 20 to 8) of 2, 3, 8, 9, 10 November. During these nights the calls will be diverted from 118 to the Caprile office.
● Santo Stefano di Cadore office: telephone availability ensured by the general practitioners of Comelico through calls to 118:
o Weekdays until 10pm.
o Before holidays from 10 to 22.
o Holidays from 8 to 22.
By calling 118, the citizen will be directed to the active continuity of assistance office.
2 FELTRE DISTRICT (access by telephone appointment)
● The entire activity of the Feltre office has been confirmed (at night, before public holidays and on holidays upon telephone contact at 0439/883781)
● The activity of the Lamon office has been confirmed only on the days before holidays and holidays
(from 10am on the day before holiday and until 8am on the day after the holiday; night service on weekdays guaranteed by the Feltre office – access after telephone contact at 0439/883781)
● The Borgo Valbelluna office remains suspended (service guaranteed by the Feltre office after telephone contact at 0439/883781).
“We are trying in every way to find professionals available for the continuity of care shifts, in particular on the eve of holidays and holidays”, underlines the general director of Ulss Dolomiti, Maria Grazia Carraro, “I thank the general practitioners, and in particular those of Comelico and those of the other Municipalities where Continuity of assistance has been established, who once again have shown a great sense of responsibility, and the medical professionals who have given their availability to additional shifts. It is not enough: I appeal to professionals who have the opportunity to take a few shifts to make themselves available to cover in particular the holidays and pre-holidays shifts. If everyone made their professionalism available even for just a few shifts, a puzzle could be put together that would guarantee an important service to a territory and its people. We are not giving up: we are still looking for solutions, even with the help of the mayors ».
