Residents of Belcastro, a small Italian village in the southern region of Calabria, “are… ordered to avoid contracting any illnesses that may require emergency medical attention”, said the decree, which was released by local mayor Antonio Torchia, reports the British broadcaster BBC.
The sparsely populated region of Calabria – at the tip of Italy’s boot – is one of the poorest regions in Italy.
Mayor Torchia said the move was “obviously a humorous provocation” but was more effective than the urgent notices he had sent to regional authorities to highlight the shortcomings of the local healthcare system,
About half of Belcastro’s 1 200 inhabitants are over 65 and the nearest Accident & Emergency (A&E) department is more than 45km away, the mayor said.
He added that the only way to reach the emergency room is by road, where the speed limit is 30km/h.
The village duty doctor’s office is also open irregularly and is not available on weekends, public holidays or after working hours.
Torchia told Italian television that
it is difficult “to feel safe when you know that if you need help, the only hope is to get to E&A in time” and that roads are almost “a greater risk than any disease”.
The decree also told people not to “engage in behaviour that could harm their health and to avoid domestic accidents” and not to “leave home too often, travel or play sports and [instead] spend most of their time relaxing”.
Belcastro residents told local media that Mayor Torchia had “done the right thing by drawing attention to this issue” and that the decision would “shock consciences”.
It is not clear how these new rules will be implemented, if at all.
Political mismanagement and mafia interference have devastated the Calabrian healthcare system, which was placed under the special management of central authorities almost 15 years ago. The commissioners appointed by Rome have failed to resolve the problems of high hospital debts, resulting in staff shortages, bed shortages and long waiting lists.
Eighteen hospitals in the region have closed since 2009. As a result, almost half of Calabria’s nearly two million inhabitants seek medical care outside the region.
In 2022, Cuba agreed to send 497 doctors to Calabria over three years. The region’s governor, Roberto Occhiuto, said last year that the doctors had “saved” the region’s hospitals.