Pirri, pediatric clinic without a doctor: Pietrina Loche says goodbye after 40 years

Pirri, Via Principe Amedeo. Saturday won't be an ordinary day. For the last time, the door to Pietrina Loche's clinic will open onto a waiting room filled with voices, toys, and parents looking for reassurance. Then, starting Monday, silence.

Having just turned 70, after forty years of distinguished service, one of Cagliari's most beloved pediatricians is retiring. Not by choice, not by exhaustion. But because time, and bureaucracy, have decided so.

"I would have stayed," she says without hesitation. "Because there's no replacement, but above all because my families ask me every day."

Today, approximately 1,200 children are still entrusted to her care. She's Cagliari's maximalist pediatrician, and many parents are putting off choosing a new doctor in the perhaps somewhat naive hope that something will change at the last minute.

Pietrina Loche's professional story begins far from Pirri, but it is here that she puts down roots.

Two years in Uta, in 1986, then the Pirrese area and surrounding areas with the definitive opening of the clinic in 1989 .

"I wanted to be a pediatrician," she says. "Even though my path seemed to be mapped out differently: Professor Corda, my mentor, wanted me at university. I had done so much for that path."

The doors, however, didn't open. "So I chose my own path. I was coming off the best years at the Macciotta clinic, and I felt strong. In theory. In practice, it was much more difficult. Primary care pediatrics is incredibly tough if you don't approach it with determination."

A challenge, first and foremost, with herself. "But little by little, I earned everyone's trust."

Forty years later, that trust has become a bond that spans generations.

"Today I treat the children and even the grandchildren of my first patients. It's something that fills your heart." A journey shared with their families, made up of sleepless nights, unexpected phone calls, and after-hours visits. "We've traveled together: me, the parents, the children. I've felt the recognition of my work throughout."

The biggest regret concerns the extension. "I had asked to remain available to the region. In April 2025, I received an official positive response." Then, chaos ensued. "Revocations, unclear timelines. Extensions are only withdrawn when the region is covered. Here, it isn't." And so, on Saturday, the studio closed.

Among the most indelible memories are the clinical cases that defined a career. "Acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Today that little girl is 30 years old and doing well." And then a lymphoma, more recently. "In these diseases, timing is everything."

She recounts a winter evening, pouring rain. "A mother who had never been anxious said to me on the phone, 'It seems to me that...' I went to their house at ten o'clock that evening. When she saw me, she thought I wouldn't have gone if I hadn't thought it was important. The next morning, I sent the little girl to the hospital. They called to tell me I was right. I had to tell the mother myself."

Another, more recent case, a child who "apparently had nothing wrong with him." "That's why they should always be checked, never think that parents are exaggerating. When a mother or father says 'he's sick,' they should be listened to, and then they might contradict themselves, but, I repeat, children should always be checked."

Behind the scrubs, a deep faith. "I'm a true believer. I think there's always someone who helps us on this journey." A few nights ago, she stayed alone in the clinic until late. "I thanked that person who is above us. He helped and guided me over these years."

Saturday will be his last day. But the hugs, tears, messages of appreciation, and promises to see his families and his little patients again have been in the air for a few days now.

"I thank my patients," she concludes. "I know that many of our relationships will continue forever." However, starting Monday, Pirri will be a little more alone, with 1,200 children suddenly without their pediatrician.