Ascot in disarray: patients queued for hours and doctors left alone.

The Ascots – the local clinics set up in Sardinian towns lacking basic healthcare – are at a standstill.

Patients waiting in line for hours, doctors left alone, and changing schedules: many issues have been reported by users and unions.

For example, the Italian Federation of General Practitioners (FIMMG), with regional secretary Federico Contu, complains: "There's a complete lack of management. It makes no sense to send colleagues to remote locations to simply write prescriptions. It's a professional dequalification."

Cristina Cossu's full article in L'Unione Sarda is available on newsstands, in the digital edition, and on the Unione Digital app.