First of all, the doctors to be “rewarded” with an indemnity to be paid above all to those who work in the departments most stressed by Covid and who, in any case, have already been experiencing a flight of white coats for years, “like those who work in the emergency room”. This is the first commitment of the Minister of Health Orazio Schillaci in view of the budget law now upon us. While the approach on Covid, says the former rector of Tor Vergata in an interview with the sun 24 hours and other newspapers, is to “relax measures”, but always with “prudence” and with an eye to the data on infections and hospitalizations that are now “encouraging”. «For this we think explains Schillaci -. to simplify home isolation for positives and swabs because there are too many of them “, but without letting our guard down on vaccines:” We are working on a communication campaign to relaunch vaccinations against Covid and the flu to be done together “.
The urgency on the staff: from the shortage to the award to the doctors
“There are major open problems that we have been dragging on for many years, such as the shortage of doctors on which, unfortunately, a non-optimal programming has been made that comes from afar: I remember – Schillaci still warns – that over 10 years ago with the other medical principals we were asking for an increase in admissions. The places must certainly be increased and on this we will work with the Ministry of the University, but – continues the minister – we will see new doctors in more than 10 years “. On the current shortcomings, especially in some specializations, Schillaci plans to intervene very soon, already in budget law if possible: “Some specialization schools are less attractive than others and this affects some disciplines that are strategic, such as emergency and urgency medicine that forms the doctors in the emergency rooms, but I am also thinking of radiotherapy which offers very important weapons for example in the fight against cancer and young people are also less attracted ”. For these disciplines the minister points to a “gratification” so that they become more “attractive”. “Starting from my personal experience I think – he continues – of the example of the biological risk allowance for radiologists and radiotherapists, here we need to think about an ad hoc allowance for some specialists could be a way to convince young people to do these disciplines because having few enrolled in specialization schools objectively represents a problem ».
From insulation to tampons: “Now less strict rules”
One of the first measures coming from the Ministry of Health will then concern Covid. Under the lens there is home isolation which provides for at least 5 days of “quarantine” at home and a negative swab to be able to go out. “We need to simplify and loosen up”, says Schillaci always that the data are “encouraging” like today’s “two months after the reopening of schools.” The minister underlines, “as a technician”, that this is not a political issue: “If we look at the two nations that have liberalized the most on this front, there are England and Spain (they have abolished the quarantine, ndr), with the conservatives leading the first country and the center-left leading the second ». “Today – continues the minister – some measures are excessive, we are working on them with Iss, Aifa and Istituto Spallanzani: if the epidemiological data continue to be good on isolation, we will have less rigid rules”. “Even on tampons we need to think about a relief, because if Covid becomes a less aggressive disease as it seems – concludes Schillaci – a moral suasion on citizens and a little common sense. When one has the flu and a fever, it is enough to stay at home and not go out without too much stiffness or the need to do all the tampons that are done today “. Finally, vaccines are moving forward: “Perhaps next week we will already launch a communication campaign we are working on and it will concern both Covid and the flu”.
After the pandemic, health is the center of attention
“We have only been here for 20 days and we have many challenges to face and for this reason we are studying the dossiers to give answers to objective needs,” Schillaci warns. “The pandemic that was dramatic has left two positive aspects: it has put health at the center of attention and has shown how important scientific research is for everyone’s health“. This is an advantage that must be used “to address open questions that we are studying and in particular the fragility of territorial medicine and on this we are making an important reflection and we will try to give a meaningful answer by using the funds of the PNRR well and seeing immediately what can be optimized “. “At the moment, one of the most important short-term commitments we have – explains the minister – is to enforce the milestones on the PNRR to be achieved by December: one concerns the reform of the Irccs that we want to complete and the other that of the modernization of technologies with tenders for new equipment ». In any case, the real challenge “will be to open the new structures in the area with non-precarious staff inside and for this we could also use the doctors of continuity assistance”.