An Italian town forbids its inhabitants from getting sick

A small Italian town has banned its residents from becoming seriously ill.

People living in Belcastro “are ordered to avoid contracting any illness that may require emergency medical assistance,” states a decree from local mayor Antonio Torchia.

Belcastro is located in the southern region of Calabria, one of the poorest in Italy.

Torchia stated that the measure was “obviously a humorous provocation” but that it was having more effect than the urgent notices he had sent to regional authorities to highlight the deficiencies of the local health system.

About half of Belcastro’s 1,200 residents are over 65 and the nearest Accident and Emergency (A&E) department is more than 45 kilometers (28 miles) away, the mayor said.

He added that A&E could only be reached on a road with a speed limit of 30 kmh (18 mph).

The town’s on-call doctor’s office is also open only sporadically and does not offer coverage during weekends, holidays or after hours.

Torchia told Italian television that it was difficult “to feel safe when you know that if you need help, your only hope is to get there (to the ER) on time” – and that the roads were almost “a bigger risk than any disease”. “.

As part of the decree, residents are also ordered “not to engage in behavior that could be harmful and avoid domestic accidents,” as well as “not to leave the house too much, travel or play sports, and (instead) rest for the most part.” weather”.

It is unclear how these new rules will be enforced, if at all.

The sparsely populated region of Calabria – the toe of Italy’s boot – is one of the poorest in the country.

Political mismanagement and mafia interference have decimated its health system, which was under special administration by the central government almost 15 years ago.

Rome-appointed commissioners have struggled to address the huge levels of debt facing hospitals, meaning Calabrians remain crippled by a severe lack of medical staff and beds, as well as endless waiting lists.

Eighteen hospitals in the region have closed since 2009.

As a result, almost half of Calabria’s nearly two million residents seek medical care outside the region.

In 2022, it was announced that Cuba would send 497 doctors to the Italian region for three years to work in various medical facilities. The regional governor, Roberto Occhiuto, claimed last year that these doctors had “saved” Calabria’s hospitals.

Residents of Belcastro told local media that Mayor Torchia had “done the right thing by shedding light on the issue” and that the decision would “shock consciences.”

“He has used a provocative decree to draw attention to a serious problem,” said one man.