People have been queuing for a doctor's appointment since 6 a.m., with waits lasting up to five hours. The unease and tension are evident in the Ascot district of Macomer, where the winds of revolt are blowing strongly. The chronic shortage of general practitioners is creating a situation of serious hardship, with a very high number of requests even for a simple prescription.
"We're forced to face endless lines," says one patient. "It happens in the morning and in the afternoon. After getting a number, if you're lucky, you can get an appointment, but only after hours of waiting." Every day, there are up to 30 people in line, including many elderly and sick patients, forced to wait for hours, sometimes standing, for an appointment.
Many arrive at six in the morning for the chance to be one of the first. The lucky ones manage to get in quickly, while for others, everything turns into a nightmare. The pressure is on, however. A huge catchment area quickly accumulates. People flock to Ascot, especially for prescriptions, urgent medication, and treatment plans: requests that quickly overwhelm the maximum daily capacity. The elderly and the frail are the hardest hit.
"It's a situation that to call unworthy is an understatement, and it shouldn't be a part of a civilized country, but it must be addressed with due urgency," says one patient. Most of these people, however, endure this situation in silence, which has become difficult to address even for municipal administrators, urged on by so many citizens, who often travel to Cagliari to protest and demand new doctors. At Ascot, there is no red or green code. People have to wait in line for hours, even to fill a simple prescription.
