"We intervene where there are emergencies," explains the parish priest of the Sacred Heart of Nuoro, Don Mario Mula. This is how the priest responds when you stop him at the end of a celebration and ask him about the Caritas medical-nursing clinic that operates by appointment in the parish premises. An initiative that welcomes not only the spirit but also the body of those who have difficulty accessing medical consultations, and does so with some volunteer doctors and others who are already retired. The consultation service is aimed at the elderly, poor people who cannot afford to wait months for a visit and above all to pay to have it immediately from private healthcare.

The specialists

Last year, 42 percent of Italians with incomes under 15,000 euros were forced to postpone or even give up health care because they were unable to access the National Health Service and did not have the resources to pay for private health care, highlighted the report promoted by Aiop (Italian Association of Private Hospitals) and created in collaboration with Censis. This is the emergency of the new poor, the poor of health care, that the parish of Sacro Cuore Gesù is trying to respond to in a neighborhood that includes one of the most popular districts of the city. Inside the clinic there is a pulmonologist, a nephrologist, a cardiologist, an ENT specialist, a physiatrist, a physiotherapist and two nurses. Recently a group of doctors who asked to remain anonymous donated a cardiology machine. "We are also looking for a dietician, a diabetologist, an ophthalmologist willing to give advice to some patients", says Francesca Sanna, one of the volunteer nurses who launches an appeal to come forward.

Lots of requests

So far there have been many requests, and it is not only parishioners who call for help. You call the clinic number, indicate your need. The nurse, after receiving a response from the volunteer doctor, will then schedule an appointment within a few days. "Many have heard, and it often happens that we also provide support to someone who comes from neighboring towns," explains Don Mula. But it is pointed out that this is a consultation service only for the weakest groups, those who are in need and unable to access alternatives.

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