Community can no longer find a doctor Italian village mayor bans sick leave
The small community of Belcastro in southern Italy can no longer find a doctor. As a result, Mayor Antonio Torchia has declared it illegal to be ill. Seriously?
06.01.2025, 18:32
dpa
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- The mayor of the southern Italian village of Belcastro has banned sick leave.
- The community of 1300 people can no longer find a doctor.
- The nearest hospital is 45 kilometers away.
In Italy, a village mayor has declared it illegal to be ill because he can no longer find a doctor for his community of 1,300 people. The mayor of the southern Italian village of Belcastro, Antonio Torchia, justified his new decree by saying that proper healthcare could no longer be guaranteed. There is no longer even an on-call medical service in Belcastro. The nearest hospital is 45 kilometers away.
Torchia therefore instructed the population in writing to "avoid any illness that requires medical intervention, especially in emergencies, and to rest as much as possible". Of Belcastro's 1,300 inhabitants, more than half are elderly - as is now typical in many villages. Italy is one of the countries suffering particularly from an ageing population.
The mayor sees his decree as an "ironic provocation" to draw attention to the problem - with some success. "I have to say that my decree has had more effect than the dozens of letters I have sent to the provincial health authority and the prefecture so far," said Torchia. He now hopes that the conscience of both politicians and the health service has been awakened.