“Since 1 October the 118 of Cosenza has been working with mixed staff: on the one hand those who have switched to Azienda Zero, which has taken on the urgency and emergency function, on the other those who have not switched and have remained employed by the ASP of Cosenza. A situation that creates greater confusion in the management of the service”. This was supported in a note by Carlo Guccione, of the National Directorate of the Democratic Party.
“The numbers, to date, speak clearly: out of a total of 446 people, including the 112 from Catanzaro, 243 people have moved to Azienda Zero, while 203 have remained in Asp. Almost half of the staff – continued Guccione – therefore chose not to transfer. How can an urgency and emergency service be managed with employees from different companies? Who responds to whom? Who organizes shifts, holidays, replacements? For legal and economic reasons, this coexistence risks generating conflicts and disservices. Those who remained in the ASP formally remain its employees, in a condition of “functional dependence” on Azienda Zero. The same ASP of Cosenza has handed over the 118 management function to Azienda Zero. This staff, therefore, will have to be relocated to other functions.
According to Guccione, “it seems like we are witnessing a management of amateurs in disarray. This is also demonstrated by the protest of the voluntary associations in support of 118, who have demonstrated several times under the headquarters of the ASP in Cosenza. After the failure of the last round, some have announced their withdrawal from the agreement and the suspension of the support service. They contest changes introduced unilaterally and reimbursements that would cover a maximum of 80 percent of the expenses incurred. If the withdrawal were to extend, we would have the paralysis of a service that was already unable to guarantee rescue times compliant with the regulations, in urban and extra-urban areas. The safety and lives of citizens are at risk.”
Hence Guccione’s request “to the Region and to the leaders of Azienda Zero and the ASP of Cosenza for immediate clarity: how many operators are actually on duty, with which shifts and which vehicles, and how it is intended to prevent the ambulances from remaining idle. It is not possible to improvise on the health of the Calabrians”.