«After months of solicitations, exhausting working tables and negotiations we made it». He doesn’t hide his enthusiasm the president of the Salvagente association, Mirko Damascowhich on Friday February 3 collected one of the most important results of the last few months. «Today the Lombardy Region wrote to inform us that all the health facilities in the region have been ordered to apply the open hospitals model, which we strongly desired and supported,” adds Damascus.
Three years after the start of the pandemic and given the cessation of the contagion emergency, the association has asked (and obtained) that access to hospitals be Always guaranteed to carers of underage patients, to carers of pregnant women even during labour, delivery and postpartum. But also to caregivers of elderly people over 80, bedridden, disabled patients and limited by language barriers. For the families of minors, pregnant women and dying patients, access will be guaranteed for the entire duration of the hospitalization, also to provide night care. The only obligation imposed on visitors is the use of the ffp2 mask during visits.
A battle that the association, together with Avvomamma, has been carrying on for some time. “We cry with joy and anger for all those who have been denied the right to assist a family member hospitalized in the past months, who were unable to shake the hands of a relative who then passed away for the last time. For the fathers who didn’t see their children being born, who had to wait at home for a phone call that never came.”
«This means – adds the president of Lifesaver – that from today no one will be able to deny the right of access to hospitals in Lombardy anymore. For us and for the lawyer Valentina Starinieri, it is a very important milestone and it is the first time in the history of the Italian Republic that a similar model has been applied to Italian hospitals».
In 2021 and 2022 Damascus had repeated starts hunger strikes, urging the Government to intervene with a rule authorizing entry into all wards, both those of ordinary hospitalization (including maternity) and in Covid and No-Covid CPR.
On 10 March 2022, the Government had established that access for family members in all hospital wards, both in ordinary hospitalization and in intensive care, was guaranteed for at least 45 minutes a day.
Won the battle in Lombardy the association Lifesaver it now intends to continue its commitment, “to reopen all hospitals throughout Italy”.
The association Lifesaver Italy offers free legal support to families who may find themselves in hospitals where this right is denied
(the email to write to is [email protected])