The emergency in the Obstetrics and Gynecology department at the Santissima Trinità hospital is not over. The willingness of some doctors to cover shifts during the August bank holiday to prevent the closure (which occurred and then was lifted last Monday within half a day) of a vital maternity ward for the greater Cagliari area and beyond, certainly hasn't solved the department's problems.

"This is just a stopgap solution," warns Luigi Mascia, regional president of the Cimo Fesmed union and director of the Maternal and Child Department at Arnas Brotzu.

Now is the time to make a major financial investment in the Neonatal and Maternity Units and Pediatric Departments in our region. A hospital career is no longer attractive to the younger generation (due to inadequate remuneration for the commitment required, grueling shifts, and exponentially increasing medical-legal disputes). This situation, if not understood and managed, will lead to the collapse of hospital care across the entire regional pediatric network.

There are ARES rankings with dozens of residents who aren't being considered because they're not qualified to work shifts independently, but must be supported by a tutor. "It's essential right now to complement the stopgap solutions of 'traveling specialists' with the entry into the Regional Health Service of these residents. Supported by experienced colleagues, they could begin their careers and at the same time gain loyalty to a hospital career that remains fascinating and potentially rewarding. They do it in other regions, so why not in Sardinia?"

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