"I was shocked by the news of the bills totaling tens of thousands of euros sent by a Swiss hospital to the families of several young people involved in the New Year's Eve fire in Crans-Montana. A hospital in Sion even went as far as demanding over 70,000 euros for just a few hours of hospitalization. An insult, as well as a mockery, that only inhuman bureaucracy could produce." Giorgia Meloni wrote on social media, also explaining that she spoke with our ambassador. " The Swiss authorities assured us that it was a mistake, and that the families will not have to pay anything. But I asked the ambassador to keep this issue under the highest possible scrutiny, because it would be repugnant for such costs to fall on the victims or on Italy ." "The Italian government," she concludes, "renews its solidarity with the young people involved and their families, and will continue to do everything necessary to shed light on the tragedy and determine those responsible."

In the past few hours, three of the families of the young people injured in the Constellation fire on New Year's Eve received hefty bills from Sion Cantonal Hospital . The staggering sums for a very short hospital stay were just over 17,000 francs (equivalent to just over 18,000 euros) in two cases, reaching a final bill of 66,810 francs (73,000 euros). A small note at the bottom read: "The bill does not need to be paid."

This is yet another stumble in relations between Italy and Switzerland, caused by an "error," as it was described in the government corridors of the Canton of Valais , likely caused by an overzealous or distracted official. "The medical services provided by the Valais hospital are not paid for by the families," the cantonal health department, which reports directly to Valais President Mathias Reynard, insisted. The impasse was resolved by a phone call on Monday afternoon between Reynard and the Italian Ambassador to Bern, Gian Lorenzo Cornado: "The President of the Canton of Valais assured me that nothing is owed by the families to the hospitals and that the healthcare costs will be covered entirely by the Canton of Valais, and possibly by the Swiss Confederation, and that nothing will be requested from the Italian State, as they had announced from the beginning," the diplomat explained.

While the issue has cooled down, at least from a diplomatic point of view, there still remains a hint of ambiguity in the administrative language of the Valais department , according to which it is up to the KVG, the Swiss body that manages medical expenses at an international level, "to determine, together with Italian insurance companies (and/or the Italian international liaison body), which insurance company covers which services."

Cornado and Reynard will meet again in Martigny next Friday, April 24, to definitively resolve the "misunderstanding" and make progress on the complex compensation issue.

(Unioneonline)

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