Italian mayor bans sick residents

CNN reported on January 9 that residents of the small town of Belcastro in the province of Catanzaro, Calabria region in southern Italy are under a strange ban on getting sick. The regulation issued by the town's Mayor Antonio Torchia asks residents to "avoid getting sick and needing medical help, especially in an emergency."

Mayor Belcastro orders townspeople not to get sick due to lack of medical facilities

PHOTO: COMUNE DI BELCATRO

Mr Torchia explained that the ordinance was actually a protest against the lack of access to health care in Belcastro. “We issued the decree with a bit of irony,” Mr Torchia said.

Belcastro is a town of about 1,300 people, half of whom are elderly. The town has only one health center, but it is often closed and doctors are not available on weekends, holidays or after hours, according to Mayor Torchia.

Many nearby medical centers have been closed and if emergency care is needed, patients must travel about 45 kilometers to reach the nearest emergency room in the city of Catanzaro in the province of the same name.

Therefore, Mr. Torchia said that the issuance of new regulations is an urgent action and cannot be delayed as a necessary precaution.

According to regulations, people are required to refrain from performing acts that could cause harm and avoid accidents in the home, should not leave home too often to travel or play sports , and instead should spend most of their time resting.

"This is not just a provocation, the decree is a call for help, a way to highlight the unacceptable situation," the mayor told local media.

"Come here and live a week in our little town and try to feel safe knowing that in case of a medical emergency, your only hope is to get to Catanzaro in time. Try it and then tell me if this situation is acceptable to you," said Mr. Torchia.

The regulation is intended to call on provincial officials to address the problem. Mr. Torchia said the regulation will be in effect until the public health center in Belcastro is open regularly.

Calabria is one of Italy’s poorest regions, sparsely populated, and many young people leave for larger cities. In 2021, more than 75% of Calabria’s towns had fewer than 5,000 inhabitants. Some are paying people to move there to try to reverse the population decline. Mr. Torchia said many other places in the region are in the same situation as Belcastro.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thi-truong-y-cam-nguoi-dan-bi-benh-185250110095216507.htm