ALS patient abandoned in the emergency room; Cagliari's local health authority apologizes: "Unacceptable." An internal investigation begins.
The company's position following the Santissima Trinità incidentPer restare aggiornato entra nel nostro canale Whatsapp
Over fourteen hours of waiting in the emergency room without receiving assistance . After the ordeal experienced by an ALS patient at Cagliari's Santissima Trinità hospital, the local health authority (ASL) has issued an official apology and announced an internal investigation . The case was reported by regional councilor Alessandro Sorgia (FDI) with a detailed report.
"I was saddened to read this story," said General Manager Aldo Atzori , "and I express my deepest sympathy to the patient. No one, especially a person with a tracheostomy, should have to wait 14 hours in the emergency room. We sincerely hope that these incidents never happen again . This case is unacceptable and deserves clarity. For this reason, I have already ordered an audit to reconstruct the timing and responsibilities."
"Beyond the individual episode, it's also right to say what we're doing to ensure the Emergency Room isn't the only point of access for the most vulnerable patients," the manager continues. "First and foremost, we're addressing overcrowding: it's a national problem, and in Cagliari we've increased the number of short-term observation beds, activated protected discharge pathways, and are opening local clinics, like the one just inaugurated in Sant'Elia."
Secondly, Atzori continues, "we are working on staff training in the management of highly complex conditions like ALS: a tracheostomy patient can't just sit in the waiting room; he or she must have priority, a dedicated room, and staff who are familiar with the problem. It's a matter of humanization, even more than numbers ."
Finally, "we are reorganizing the system and home care with Ministerial Decree 77 and PNRR resources: the goal is to bring the family nurse, the doctor, and palliative care into the patient's home."
"I apologize again to the family for the wait and the anguish they've experienced," the director general concluded. "The Local Health Authority isn't hiding; we're acknowledging the problem and turning it into concrete action. My door and that of the Health Directorate are open to meeting with the families and associations of ALS patients."