“The real tumor is the one that grows where the state should be found.” It is with these strong words that a group of Calabrian citizens, gathered in the collective The union of differenceshas publicly denounced the long waiting times for medical visits and oncological investigations in the region.
Calabria, they explain, is one of the territories where the disease “of the century”, the tumor, becomes even more frightening due to the slowness of the health system. Booking a specialist visit can take months, and histological examinations – fundamental for timely diagnosis – they also arrive after 40 days. A delay that, in the case of cancer, can make the difference between life and death.
The situation of breast cancer is particularly critical: every year over 1,200 women receive this diagnosis in Calabria, but only 38% adheres to preventive screening, against a national average of 60%. To weigh, more than fear, they are the distrust in the system and the lack of adequate structures.
Despite the difficulties, virtuous examples are not lacking. This is the case of the Breast Unit of the Pugliese-Ciaccio hospital in Catanzaro, a center of excellence that demonstrates how the organization can make the difference in complicated contexts also.
But, they underline the promoters of the complaint, “science advances, innova medicine, yet we still get sick of delays and bureaucracy”. And they ask themselves: is it acceptable that, in 2025, the possibility of taking care still depends on your postal code?