The mother of a disabled child had had her checkup postponed for two years. “From the USL they gave me the availability of the doctor for the next day”
AGORDINO. At 10.30 the phone rings: «The doctor is available for a visit to her son tomorrow at 2.30 pm in Belluno».
A few hours earlier Anna’s outburst (invented name of a royal Agordina mother) had been published in the Courier of the Alps. A mother who had been asked for patience again after the check-up for her disabled son of ten years – expected for two years and scheduled for Tuesday morning – was again postponed to a later date.
“I have no more patience,” Anna had said to Courier of the Alps, “now stop”.
Then suddenly on 17 March morning, the USL 1 shows up, twice. “First of all”, explains Anna, “I received a message from the staff of the SISS (Social and School Integration Service) of the health care company with whom, after reading the article, they said they were sorry for the happened, but they wanted to clarify that one thing is the Siss and another the Service of the developmental age. But I don’t care what one has to do and what the other has to do. I simply wanted my son to be guaranteed the rights he bears ».
Soon after Anna receives a call from Cusighe’s secretariat to fix her new appointment. “Without preamble”, says Anna, “I am told that the neuropsychiatrist is available to visit my son tomorrow (today 18 March for those who read, ed) at 2.30 pm in Belluno. And I say that the visit had to be done in Agordo and that therefore I want to do it in Agordo. For this the secretariat had to resent the doctor. In the end we set for April 2 at 10.30 in Agordo ».
With this geographical request, Anna has not only claimed the right of her son to have a follow-up visit to check his progress, to give advice to the family on how to face the difficult times that often happen. He also claimed the right of highlanders to have services close to home. And, without saying it, he asked that the administrators also fight for this to happen, by participating in meetings where social services are discussed and making the voice of the territories heard.
But it has also done more. After finally getting what she legitimately asked for, she turned to all the mothers and fathers who find themselves in situations similar to hers. “Don’t be afraid to say your opinion “, says Anna, “even if sometimes out of shame or fear of what people may think, one goes on in silence with one’s pain, one’s difficulties. But there are many of us who need to have our say. And now it’s time to say enough: even before Covid we were alone, now we are even more so “.
In the outburst, Anna had also pointed out how, due to the shortcomings and remoteness of the public sector, the temptation to turn to the private sector is concrete, in order to be able to respond to the needs of their child, to ensure that they have what they need. But that’s not fair. –