A night of terror at Brotzu: "Smoke in the hospital and patients evacuated, it could have been a tragedy."

" Flames outside the windows, smoke invading several hospital departments, staff busy managing a critical situation, and moments of intense tension even in the emergency room. It could have been a tragedy ."

After a night of fear at Cagliari's Brotzu Hospital, where a fire broke out outside near the emergency room , Gianfranco Angioni, USB Public Employment Healthcare and Workers' Safety Representative (RLS), weighs in. "What emerges from the workers' testimonies is a disturbing picture," Angioni states.

One of the most worrying aspects concerns the alleged malfunction of the fire alarm . "The most serious report concerns the fact that, according to staff, no fire alarms were heard in the wards affected by the smoke . This aspect must be immediately investigated, because an inefficient security system in a hospital can put human lives at risk."

USB Sanità recalls having already reported several critical issues related to fire prevention over the years, denouncing "the presence of storage rooms that did not meet the required requirements, the improper use of technical and service spaces, and the increased fire load within the facility."

For this reason, the union sent a formal formal notice to the General Management of Arnas Brotzu, the Health Department, the Prevention and Protection Service, and the Fire Safety Manager, requesting a series of urgent actions : from the clearing of non-compliant warehouses to the extraordinary inspection of fire safety systems, to the convening of the regular safety meeting required by law, to the revision of the Risk Assessment Document and the Emergency and Evacuation Plan. They also requested the submission of the technical report on the fire, the fire department's report, and documentation relating to the workers and patients involved.

"Now it's up to the competent authorities to fully investigate the incident and determine all possible responsibilities," Angioni concludes. "It's necessary to determine whether prevention and protection measures were actually ensured, whether the reports made over the years were ignored, and whether there were any omissions in safety management. We will not accept this matter being dismissed as a mere accident. The safety of workers and patients cannot be left to chance."

(Unioneonline/D)