Cancer care in Syracuse: Germano of Noi Moderati at sit-in outside Umberto I hospital, “Enough announcements – the ASP must give firm dates on the clean room”

SYRACUSE / POLITICS & HEALTH – A clear stance against bureaucratic delays and unfulfilled promises. This morning Noi Moderati took part in the sit-in organised outside Syracuse’s Umberto I hospital at the invitation of the committee set up by the Bosco family from Priolo Gargallo, formed to demand concrete answers on the failure to activate the clean room intended for preparing oncology drugs.

Voicing the concerns of patients and their families is Germano (Noi Moderati), who stresses the human and cross-party value of a mobilisation that calls on the provincial health leadership:

“We chose to be here because this is a fight that concerns everyone, regardless of political affiliation. Unfortunately, cancer now affects countless families, and when someone falls ill, it is not just the patient who suffers, but also those close to them who support them daily through treatment. I find it absurd and shameful that, more than four months after a statement from the general management of the provincial health authority (ASP) of Syracuse, which announced a commitment to make the clean room operational in the provincial capital, there are still no concrete results.”

Petition drive and criticism of member of the Sicilian Regional Assembly Tiziano Spada

In retracing the stages of the dispute, the Noi Moderati member recalled the petition launched six months ago across the area – which gathered over 1,200 signatures in just three or four days in the towns of the Syracuse area – and levelled harsh criticism at the member of the Sicilian Regional Assembly Tiziano Spada, accused of taking credit for a solution that never materialised:

• Political claims: “I must also highlight another aspect that I consider particularly serious: some political representatives had publicly claimed this battle as their own, implying that the problem had been solved thanks to their intervention. I am referring, for example, to Tiziano Spada. Yet today the situation is still unresolved, and this morning Spada was not even present at the protest.”
• No political grandstanding on the backs of the sick: “I believe that on such sensitive issues, politics must have the courage to take responsibility. You cannot make announcements, claim results and then leave patients and their families to take to the streets once again to demand what should be guaranteed. Healthcare cannot be a stage for propaganda. When we talk about people facing cancer, political flags, statements or grandstanding do not matter. What matters are actions, services and the responses that institutions can provide.”

Call for clarity from the ASP of Syracuse

Hence the direct appeal to the leadership of the provincial health authority to shed full light on the state of the work and the timeline for the laboratory to become operational:

“We are asking the general management of the ASP of Syracuse to clarify what work has been carried out to date, what obstacles may still exist and, above all, when the clean room will finally become operational. As Noi Moderati, today we wanted to make our contribution and show our concrete solidarity with those who are suffering. But we do not intend to stop here. We will continue to support this fight, because we do not agree with how the matter has been handled so far and because we believe that citizens deserve respect, transparency and clear answers,” Germano concluded.