The first objective will be to give a strong acceleration to the double vaccination against Covid and seasonal flu with a targeted communication campaign, while the possible easing of isolation for asymptomatic positives will depend on the data and the trend of the curves.
The Minister of Health, Orazio Schillaci, indicates the first steps he is working on in this post-pandemic emergency phase, and underlines how, however, there are also other priorities, from the recovery of waiting lists, to the use of Pnrr funds, to enhancement of the personnel of the National Health System.
“We are working on the launch, shortly – announced Schillaci in an interview with journalists – of a joint communication campaign on theimportance of vaccines against Covid and seasonal flu with particular attention to the target of the elderly and the frail”. As for the use of masks in the hospital, he specifies, “there was never the intention not to extend the ordinance which expired on October 31st. Moreover, in many departments masks have been used since before Covid arrived”. As for the possible easing of measures, such as home isolation, the decisions, he explains, “will be adopted on the basis of the data on the progress of the pandemic which , to date, they seem to have improved but we remain cautious because the cold season is just starting”.
However, it is also necessary to look beyond Covid and address the other emergencies on the table. The pandemic, he underlines, “in the dramatic nature of the situation, has placed two elements at the center of attention, health and research. Now it is important that this attention continues to be high, even with adequate resources. There are emergencies to be resolved: I am thinking of the oncological screenings and follow-ups skipped due to the Covid emergency which unfortunately will lead to an increase in the incidence and severity of oncological pathologies. For this we are working on solutions that allow the recovery of performance”.
Another node is that of the Pnrr: “We have to make the best use of resources – said the minister -. The prime minister has given renewed impetus to the control room, coordinated by minister Fitto whom we will meet on Tuesday”. Among the mile stones in the pipeline, he says, “there is the reform of the IRCCSwhich I believe is very important due to the essential role that research plays in ensuring better care for all, which we hope to approve by the end of the year”. Then there is the relevant issue of local medicine whose weaknesses the pandemic has highlighted. “Today citizens find on the one hand the family doctorfirst outpost of assistance, ei emergency room which, as known, suffer, not from today, from overcrowding problems. Problems that must be solved by acting on appropriateness, offering people aalternative to the hospital that it is perceived as safe”.
Another focus concerns the lack of personnel and the need to making today’s neglected medical specialties attractive. “We inherit a wrong programming: during the pandemic the number of enrollments in the Faculty of Medicine was increased, however in the last 10 years we have lost at least 50,000 possible enrollments due to the limited number for a long time at 8,000 enrollments when it would have been appropriate to guarantee up to 12 -15,000 a year. Just as a reflection is needed, and on this an evaluation will be made with the MUR, on scholarships for specializations: we need – warns the minister – emergency medicine doctors, emergency doctors first aid, anesthesiologists, but these are specialties considered unattractive and which today register little adhesions. The commitment will be to make these specialties more attractive”. Furthermore, “we also intend to bring young people closer to general medicine. We want to make sure that those who intend to choose specializations that are less considered today which, on the other hand, have a strong need, feel gratified – Schillaci concludes”.
