“The activation of paid beds at the Annunziata Hospital in Cosenza is an immoral and unjustifiable choice. At a time when public health is under pressure, this decision goes against the principles of solidarity and social justice. Health it cannot become a luxury good, accessible only to those who can afford it. We ask the institutions to protect the right to health of all citizens, without distinction. I can only express my strongest condemnation for the activation of four paid beds at the Thoracic Surgery department of the Annunziata Hospital in Cosenza. The decision of the general director of the Annunziata hospital, Vitaliano De Salazar, represents a serious precedent and a direct attack on the key principle of our National Health Service: universality and equality of access to care”. This was stated in a note by the regional councilor and group leader of the 5 Star Movement, Davide Tavernise.
“Thoracic Surgery – continued Tavernise – is a department of fundamental importance, which deals with complex and often very delicate pathologies. Isolating it and making it more accessible to those with greater economic resources is a short-sighted and unjustifiable choice. I wonder how it is possible that, while Calabrian citizens are forced to wait on long waiting lists and turn to private facilities to receive the necessary care, we decide to allocate public resources to exclusive services for a few”.
Tavernise then invited the Health Commissioner of the Calabria Region, Roberto Occhiutoto “immediately review this decision and to ensure that the Annunziata Hospital continues to provide its services in a fair and transparent manner, in compliance with constitutional principles. We also ask the national Government to intervene urgently to guarantee full funding of the Health Service National and to counter any attempt to privatize care. Health is an inalienable right and cannot be the subject of speculation.”
