A letter addressed to the heads of the Sardinian Health Service and to those of the Regional Council, but also to the ministers Piantedosi (Interior) and Schillaci (Health) to denounce the situation that has arisen in the prison in Uta with the arrival of 88 inmates under the 41 bis regime.

The Uil Fp union signed the statement, claiming that life in the prison has now become unbearable: "The arrival of over 80 inmates under the 41 bis regime has definitively exacerbated an already critical situation ," they write. "The healthcare staff describe a dramatic situation, no longer manageable, unsustainable, and clearly outside the norm."

According to figures provided by the union, "the prison population has suddenly increased from 750 to approximately 840 inmates, spread across seven blocks and the SAI (Intensive Care Service/Clinical Center), almost all of whom require constant healthcare. Despite this increase , the nursing staff—required to cover shifts 24/7—is now just 25 on paper (down from 28 a few weeks ago), of which only 22 are actually on duty."

A figure halved compared to the past, the union laments, "currently supplemented only by the marginal support of a few company workers on supplementary benefits. This serious shortage, exacerbated by the ongoing exodus caused by unsustainable working conditions , makes the environment completely unattractive both for retaining existing staff and for recruiting new professionals, who systematically refuse the assignment."

The OSS are also facing difficulties, with only eight social and health workers. "The introduction of prisoners under the 41-bis regime has led to the definitive collapse of the system : the current situation sees night shifts covered by just two nurses and, at times, by just one OSS for the entire prison facility. This leads to double shifts and dangerous workloads. Added to this is the complexity of a highly problematic and often aggressive population: recent news reports of verbal assaults against some nurses, who were subjected to insults, spitting, and objects thrown."

And the block designated for the 41-bis regime is reportedly lacking basic furnishings, therapy carts, and essential medical supplies , forcing staff to resort to makeshift measures to provide essential services. "Even medication is transported manually, and the special regime medical records are not properly archived in suitable and separate spaces, in clear violation of current regulations."

"The logistical and sanitary conditions in which the staff are forced to operate are completely substandard," they write. "We note the presence of open bags of organic waste in staff passageways and the availability of only one freight elevator for the entire facility. This mixed use (for transporting meals, garbage, and users) poses a very serious biological and safety risk. Recently, during a health emergency requiring the urgent transport of a prisoner on a stretcher to the medical center, the freight elevator was occupied by waste disposal and meal distribution . Only the protests and requests of the staff allowed him to be freed after a delay that could have resulted in a tragic outcome."

Having raised the alarm, Uil Fp is calling for immediate institutional intervention to provide more staff, financial incentives, and immediate sanitation of the areas affected by waste flow. The organization also calls for the prompt provision of furniture, filing cabinets, and therapy carts for block 41-bis, as well as the installation of a second elevator to be used exclusively for passenger transit.

(Unioneonline/AD)

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