Medical malpractice cases in Italy increased with the Covid-19. To say it are the numbers and the testimonies of those who, in this year and a half, have found themselves having to deal with a health system that too often has focused solely and exclusively on the Coronavirus emergency without giving space to another large slice of pathologies and needs.
Francesco Barucco, lawyer of the Legal Health Desk, raised the alarm: “In Italy every year there are over 42 thousand deaths that could have been avoided due to medical malpractice. These numbers are frightening: often there are also disabilities or serious cases. We are among the worst-off countries.
It’s okay to talk about the Coronavirus, but let’s pay attention to medical malpractice. It is a very serious phenomenon that should be addressed. The diagnoses that have not been made in the last two years have led to tripled cases: we are going to address this problem. Today you can go to the hospital for any problem but you are still out for 2 to 5 hours for the result of the swab “.
The problem is very broad and concerns various aspects. They have often been postponed to a later date visits, checks and screening. At the same time i emergency room they have been congested and have often treated some cases too sufficiently that would have needed care and attention. Another problem that has led to many cases of medical malpractice is the need to swab at the entrance to the emergency room, without therefore being able to be treated immediately: “There are diseases that had to be treated promptly, especially cardio-vascular. Even if you have problems that need to be treated promptly, you have to stay out in the hospital waiting. With this methodology, the cases can only increase. They left a boy to die of suspected coronavirus but he had an evident heart attack in progress “.