Almost 60,000 calls during 2022 reached the Pronto Senior Salute switchboard, the listening point activated by Senior Italia FederAnziani to help citizens obtain compliance by the Regional Health Services with the times indicated by doctors on prescriptions for visits, tests diagnostics and hospitalizations.
Citizens over 65 were thus able to turn to specialized personnel and resolve 94% of their problems, obtaining services in accordance with current regulations. “Our Pronto Senior Salute service is on its last legs and this indicates how much the National Health Service is also suffering”, says Roberto Messina, president of Senior Italy FederAnziani.
Data from the National Agency for Regional Health Services (Agenas) confirm a 40% decrease in screening activities and over 11% of the population has given up visits and diagnostic or specialist tests due to economic problems. “The decrease in screening – Messina declares – will lead to an emergence of oncological pathologies at a higher staging, at doubled costs and a decrease in life expectancy”. Furthermore, he continues, “we are amazed by the decrease in operations for hip fractures according to the established times” to which is added the “non-immediate rehabilitation of the patient which, if not done according to the guidelines, leads to death over the twelve months of the patient”. Finally, there are still over a million citizens waiting to undergo cataract surgery and specialist eye examinations.
At this rate, Messina concludes, “even 2023 will be an ordeal for citizens to be able to access services because the shortage of over 25,000 doctors and 63,000 nurses will not be able to help the waiting lists go down”. (HANDLE).
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