rome
CNN
—
The mayor of a small town in southern Italy issued an unusual declaration: “It is forbidden to get sick.”
According to a decree issued by Mayor Antonio Torchia, residents of Belcastro in southern Calabria are “ordered to avoid contracting diseases that require medical assistance, especially in emergencies.”
Torchia told local television that he was “taking it (the ordinance) a little bit cynically,” but that it was meant to highlight the town’s lack of access to health care.
The town of Belcastro has a population of about 1,300 people, half of whom are elderly, but its health center is frequently closed and there is no doctor on duty on weekends, holidays and after-hours, the mayor said.
The closure of nearby medical centers and the fact that in the city of Catanzaro the nearest emergency room is approximately 45 kilometers away, led the mayor to believe that “it is necessary to take urgent and irreversible preventive measures.” It became. It’s natural,” he said.
“This is not just a provocation. This ordinance is a cry for help and a way to spotlight an unacceptable situation,” Torchia told local news outlet Corriere della Calabria.
In the proclamation, the mayor urged people to “avoid potentially harmful activities and accidents at home,” “do not leave the house frequently, travel or play sports, and spend most of your time resting.” I asked for something. ”
It is unclear whether and how the ordinance will be enforced.
The mayor said the order is meant to encourage local and health authorities to address the problem. According to the mayor, the ordinance will remain in effect until the town’s health center opens on a regular basis.
CNN has contacted the Ministry of Health.
“Come and live in our small village for a week, and rest assured knowing that in the event of a health emergency, your only hope is to make it to Catanzaro in time,” he said in an interview with local media. spoke. “Try it and let me know if this situation is acceptable.”
The sparsely populated region of Calabria is one of Italy’s poorest regions and vulnerable to desertification and brain drain, with many young people moving from rural areas to cities.
More than 75% of Calabria’s towns (approximately 320) had fewer than 5,000 residents in 2021, raising concerns that some communities may not be regenerated and may disappear completely. There is. Some towns have begun offering to pay people to live there to reverse population declines.
Mayor Belcastro knows many towns face similar health care access issues.
“I’m a drop in the ocean,” Torchia told local broadcaster LaC News24. “There are 80 municipalities in the province of Catanzaro, and I think most of them are suffering from the same problem.”
