“Maximum commitment to enhance the service” of territorial emergency 118, “both through better organization in the area, and with adequate improvements and economic incentives for personnel”. This was underlined by the Minister of Health, Orazio Schillaci, who this morning met the president of the Sis118 (Italian company with the 118 system), Mario Balzanelli, on the subject of the legislative reform of the 118.
Balzanelli asked the minister to consider “the historic need, which can no longer be postponed, to enhance the country’s 118 system as a priority, concretely enhancing its life-saving time-employee action, at the service of the national population 24/7, 365 days a year”.
The proposal “of a strategic and structural nature”, illustrated by Balzanelli, is divided into some fundamental points, including the configuration of the 118 systems into provincial territorial emergency departments; the assurance to the entire national population of performance standards of excellence, with the obligation of compliance by all regional territories, for which those who find themselves in a condition of health emergency, i.e. in imminent danger of losing their lives, must be rescued from 118 in a very short time, as much as possible within 8 minutes from the call in the urban area and from a vehicle with a doctor and nurse on board; the recognition of environmental and biological risk incentive allowances for all system operators, doctors, nurses, drivers and rescuers. The minister said he was interested in continuing the discussion with Sis 118 for the achievement of the shared objectives.
Schillaci expressed to President Balzanelli his “sincere appreciation for the commitment and dedication of the women and men of the 118”, assuring the “maximum commitment” to enhance the service. And he underlined that “the measures to support emergency personnel must be considered a first step towards a wide-ranging reform of the National Health Service, both in the area and in hospital facilities”.
“I thank Minister Schillaci – commented Balzanelli at the end of the meeting – to whom we field operators turn with confidence, in the certainty that strengthening the 118 system, solving the critical issues that afflict it, will translate into a greater ability to save lives “.