The case of the minor waiting for 15 hours at the Milazzo hospital: the ASP explains but the picture remains critical

«At the Milazzo hospital a minor cannot undergo surgery». This was clarified by the manager of the ASP, Giuseppe Cucci, who spoke on the matter of the boy who arrived at the emergency room of the Mamertino hospital with a fractured arm.

According to the reconstruction provided by the top management of the health company, everything that was necessary would have been done in the emergency room, while the problem of hospitalization was not linked only to the bed (which was missing in any case) but to the regulatory provisions which provide for the need for a pediatric surgery department and anesthetists dedicated to this type of operation.

It would have been explained to the family members of the young patient – Cuccì continues – that operations of this type can be performed at the Messina Polyclinic. In this case, it should be remembered that an alternative solution was identified: Papardo who evidently, exceptionally accepted the patient and proceeded with the operation. Cucci also reports that the parents had been shown the opportunity to bring the boy home, given that the arm had been immobilized with plaster, awaiting communication on the availability of a bed. But, on this, the family responded by asserting that precisely this request of theirs was given a negative response as there was an open intake there and the closure of the procedure could have led to the loss of the priority acquired for the transfer to another structure. Same bureaucracy even when health is involved. The episode certainly provoked strong reactions and could have a sequel.

The Hon. Tommaso Calderone, head of FnV in Sicily, announced the submission of a question to the Minister of Health. «A 15-hour wait in the emergency room before having a bed for emergency surgery is “unacceptable”. The politician then extends the dispute to the regional healthcare system, speaking of a Sicilian healthcare system that he considers to be “in disarray” and attributing the critical issues to political choices which, in his opinion, would favor the appointments of managers over the quality of services. Calderone also mentions passive healthcare mobility and waiting lists, recalling the Agenas data from October 2026 on the worsening of compliance with the times for specialist visits and diagnostic tests.

Also taking a stand are Ivan Tripodi, general secretary of Uil Messina, and Livio Andronico, general secretary of Uil Public Function, who believe “the availability of just 12 beds in Orthopedics is insufficient for a population of around 120 thousand inhabitants, destined to exceed 200 thousand presences in the summer period”. The two trade unionists exclude the responsibility of healthcare workers, recognizing their daily commitment, and identify the causes of the difficulties in structural and organizational shortcomings. The criticality, according to Uil, does not only concern Milazzo, but the entire hospital network in the area. Ambulances and patients are forced to move between the different facilities in the province, in cases where even from Mistretta you have to travel a total of around 200 kilometers to reach Messina.

Tripodi and Andronico ask the Regional Department of Health and the General Directorate of the ASP for an urgent verification of the hospital network, starting from data on accesses, hospitalizations, transfers, population served, travel times and availability of staff. Above all, the focus is on the distribution of beds, the coverage of the management of the operational units and the full functionality of the emergency services. Uil also announces a public meeting that will involve healthcare workers, citizens, associations and community representatives. The objective is to open a discussion on the conditions of assistance in the area and build initiatives to solicit responses from the institutions. “We don’t need proclamations or useless reassurances but rather facts and decisive interventions to safeguard public health and the right to health.”