"My father can return home, but he's been held hostage in the hospital for a month."

" My father, a fragile patient, can't wait to be discharged . But he's been held hostage by bureaucracy for weeks ." This is the appeal of Mauro Ferru, from Sestu, who is deeply concerned about the situation of his father Aldo , a quadriplegic in his seventies , who has been hospitalized since December 18th at the Santissima Trinità hospital in Cagliari .

A few days after being admitted to General Surgery, following a respiratory crisis, Aldo Ferru was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit. "My father, having overcome the critical phase," his son recounts, "was declared clinically fit to return home, with assistance through home care in the critical care unit." On January 7, 2026, the Intensive Care Unit " sent the application for the activation of home care to the relevant offices. Since then, however, nothing has happened ." And the "numerous reminders" via certified email, to which "I have received no response," were apparently to no avail.

According to Ferru, the delay is thought to be due to the unavailability of specialized nursing staff for home care in critical care settings . "They explained to us that this is the time needed to process the request," he says. "At the moment, supplies such as gauze, cannulas, and other materials are not ready for collection. The request has been authorized, but the estimated delivery time is at least ten days. Once they are available, the return procedure would need to be activated, which would involve a further wait."

Ferru says he takes what he's been told at face value, but he's also heard that "some workers are on a ' work-to-rule ' over pay issues. No one can work without a salary, and I have every sympathy for them. But it's not fair that the patient pays the highest price." "My father knows he can go home, but he can't understand why he's not allowed to. This wait is wearing him down: he's very down and has started refusing food ." His son concludes by thanking the healthcare workers: "In all this time, we've never been left alone . The problem isn't human or clinical, but bureaucratic and managerial."