Quality of care for patients

Press agencies and online newspapers relaunch the heartfelt appeal of Mrs. Irene Sampognaro who denounces what in her opinion is a case of medical malpractice and total abandonment by the State. A year ago, her husband, Giuseppe Marletta, went into a coma following a trivial dental operation. Faced with the impossibility of financially bearing the burden of assistance, which was also unqualified, his wife provocatively threatened to request the suspension of all treatment.

The University Center for Bioethics believes it is essential to listen to the desperation and the request for help of the lady, who complains about the hypocrisy of a state that declares itself in favor of life but in fact abandons families and citizens.

This case makes us think. There are many problems of justice posed by the lady that challenge us and cannot leave us indifferent, starting with the ascertainment of responsibilities in the face of what happened. Medical malpractice is not only the result of medical errors, but also of a misallocation of resources, neglect and abandonment. The charters of the rights of patients and families are increasingly paper rights in a country where politics cares less and less about the real well-being of its citizens.

The fact that it is necessary to resort to dramatic public appeals to obtain a hearing, justice and qualified assistance is an indication of a progressive deterioration of the ethical fabric of our country and the tearing apart of the very functions of the institutions. The answer is a battle first and foremost for legality and equity that focuses on assistance as one of the fundamental voices of our civilization.

We hope that in the face of this case we will really begin to think about the support of families and the qualification of assistance. The short way cannot be any form of euthanasia, but adequate and supportive assistance.