«I tell the story of what happened so that, in the future, there will be no similar cases where a serious patient leaves the emergency room of a local hospital that serves the entire district, stripped not only of essentials, but also of her dignity» . Thus begins the letter sent to the president of the Calabria Region Roberto Occhiutoto the Asp Commissioner of Crotone Antonio Brambillato the Prefect of Crotone Franca Ferraroto the Health Director Asp Pasquale Mesitito the Health Director of San Giovanni di Dio in Crotone Lucio Cosentinoto the president of the Province of Crotone Sergio Ferrarito the mayor of Crotone Vincenzo Vocefrom Giovanna Chiaravolloti,« citizen of Crotone, active person in her city. In short, a woman like many others who wants to denounce the precarious state of the emergency room at the San Giovanni di Dio hospital in Crotone so that there are no other cases like those that happened on Sunday 28 April to my sister, a few years younger than me” .
And here is the story: «On the night of Sunday 28 April, my brother-in-law – wrote Mrs. Chiaravalloti – found my sister, aged 58, lying unconscious on the ground. She was transported to the emergency room, she had three CT scans performed, therefore waiting for the results from time to time. A Neurologist was not called, and my sister was in serious condition, since she did not speak. It was not possible to transport my sister to Cosenza Hospital since the ambulances in Crotone were present, but there was no doctor available. To make a long story short, my sister left the Crotone emergency room at 7.40 am with a Cirò ambulance, in a desperate situation. Upon arrival in the city of Bruzia, the doctor who operated on her told us that even a quarter of an hour late, we would just leave my sister alone.”
But it's not enough. «At the Crotone emergency room – continued Mrs. Chiaravalloti – there wasn't even a blanket available, and my sister was cold. She entered the ambulance with my jacket, while to be washed before leaving, we had to call a nurse who was actually very kind. The only OSS present was rightly busy with another patient. I understand the problems of healthcare cuts at the national level, though not owning even a blanket is deplorable. We are talking about an important hospital that serves the entire province of Crotone, which must provide assistance to the entire area. There is little staff, with the atavistic problems that we all know. But in my sister's case, an ethical factor also comes into play. There must never be anything like this again. The appeal I make is that such events no longer exist. Crotone healthcare must not be last. We can't afford it.”