Among the undersecretaries of the Draghi government, Pierpaolo Sileri is certainly one of the best known. And not just for a rather dense book of television hosts.
Former President of the Health Commission of the Senate and then Deputy of the Minister Roberto Speranza, with the birth of the current government it remained to preside over the same dicastery, albeit passing from deputy minister to undersecretary (in fact), overall risk of the appointments that characterize the launch of any Executive.
With a credibility that does not derive “only” from political activity, but also from professional activity in the role of surgeon and teacher first at Oxford and then at San Raffaele in Milan, the exponent of the M5S stands out among parliamentarians (and not only among his own) because of his excellent curriculum.
For all these reasons, his words weigh. So it’s really striking his stance on the subject of Healthcare reform, a return of pressing news after the Covid-19 tsunami. Once the level of the political conflict between the central government and the Regions has dropped, the need remains on the table to overcome a model that, in fact, has created 20 different regional systems: at best, this creates unacceptable disparities between citizens who live in virtuous regions and those who instead have to deal with a much more limping healthcare, but when things turn for the worst, fragmentation risks having dramatic effects.
Covid has painfully taught us this and even today, although the contagion curve is much less aggressive, it is difficult to get the Regions to dialogue with each other, to organize the administration of second doses of vaccine in vacation spots, while some Governors are up for it AstraZeneca and others strongly opposed. Every one on his own way.
Wouldn’t it be the case to put the matter back in order? It really seemed that everyone agreed, but not the undersecretary, who in an interview with “Free” puts forward a rather different thesis. The question put to him by the newspaper directed by Alessandro Sallusti is quite eloquent: “The center-left pushes to centralize Healthcare, taking it away from the Regions. Agree?”. Sileri’s answer is equally so: “No. Rather, a stronger Ministry is needed, which monitors and supports the work of the territories “.
Between the lines, do you read a veiled criticism of Hope? And Sileri, also considering his professional career, wouldn’t he aspire to be the one to fill the role of Minister? Doubt also came to “Free”, which in fact asks him: “Tell the truth: when Draghi took office, he hoped that he would appoint you minister …”. The answer is the only possible one, even by resorting to the minimum wage of diplomacy: “No, no. Nobody contacted me. They are just rumors ”.
We leave the process to the intentions, which never leads to anything. The objective facts say that Sileri often took critical and not at all comfortable positions, including his revelations on a sort of “barrier” placed around him when he entered the Ministry, to prevent him from becoming aware of some important information.
Equally objectively, on the political level, its counter-current position on the defense of regional health certainly will not mind the League and probably not even the readers of “Free”. And this, in the not unreal perspective of a future center-right government, could have its weight.