LAMPEDUSA (ITALPRESS) – There are eight cancer patients, already, taken in charge of Lampedusa by the new Decentrated Oncological Service of the Pelagie Islands, launched operationally today on the occasion of the visit of the Minister of Health Orazio Schillaci. The new structure, active in the polyambulatory of Contrada Grecale, allows direct delivery on the territory of adjuvant chemotherapy treatments, immunotherapies, administration of oral therapies, vescic instillations and oncological follow-up activities, significantly reducing the need for transfers to the mainland. “ Today we take a further decisive step in the direction of a fairer and closer health to people – said the Minister of Health, Orazio Schillaci – and demonstrate concretely what we mean when we talk about proximity health. For the first time, patients on the island can receive complex care without having to face long and challenging trips to the mainland. It was a team game that gave evidence of organizational skills in particular territorial contexts that must be able to have adequate, stable and high-level services.” The project was born from the collaboration between ASP in Palermo, Municipality of Lampedusa and Linosa, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico “Paolo Giaccone” in Palermo, INMP and Regional Councillor of Health of the Sicilian Region, with the aim of guaranteeing equal access and therapeutic continuity to citizens of the smaller islands. “This service is a strategic choice for Sicilian health because it reduces territorial inequalities and ensures uniform healing rights even in the most complex contexts – said the Councillor of Health of the Sicilian Region, Daniela Faraoni – investing in the smaller islands means enhancing public health and building organizational models capable of responding to the real needs of communities. The Decentrated Oncological Service of Lampedusa is the most concrete and evolved example of a proximity health that is the great bet of this decade of the entire national health system”.The ASP of Palermo, present today in Lampedusa with the Director-General Alberto Firenze and the Health Director Antonino Levita, has treated the structural and functional adaptation of the dedicated spaces and guarantees the logistic support and assistance through the staff in “The visit of Minister Schillaci – highlighted the Mayor of Lampedusa, Filippo Mannino – confirms the attention of national and regional institutions towards Lampedusa enhancing a model of proximity health that combines specialization, institutional integration and welfare continuity, with a direct impact on the quality of life of the oncologic patients of Pelagies”. The Decentrated Oncological Service is equipped with two infusion armchairs provided by INMP, which also contributes to the definition of the organizational model. Clinical activities are ensured by the oncologists of the Palermo Polyclinic, which also provides the necessary medicines for treatments. “The operational start of the Oncological Service Decentrated in Lampedusa – said the Director General of the ASP of Palermo, Alberto Firenze – is a concrete response to a real need of the territory. As a health company we have put in the field organization, structures and staff to make possible a stable, safe and continuous oncological load. Bringing care close to patients means reducing discomfort, improving adherence to treatments and strengthening the principle of fairness of public health care.” The General Manager of the Policlinic University Hospitaller “Paolo Giaccone” in Palermo, Maria Grazia Furnari – present in Lampedusa together with the Health Director Lia Murè – highlighted how “the high specialization can be effectively integrated in the most peripheral territoriesto offer appropriate care and quality. In this context, the Polyclinic, whose mission consists in the integrated and coordinated development of assistance, teaching and research functions, plays a role not only as a clinical reference, but also as a pole of innovation within the welfare network. The highly specialized contribution of oncologists and guaranteed therapeutic continuity allow to structure appropriate, homogeneous and high quality care paths, strengthening a shared governance between hospital and territory”. “The commitment of INMP – explained Director-General Cristiano Camponi – is aimed at supporting models of proximity health capable of ensuring appropriate care even in the most fragile and difficult areas to reach. Lampedusa’s experience shows that, through joint work between institutions, it is possible to build concrete, sustainable and replicable services in other contexts of the country.” -photo press office Asp Palermo –(ITALPRESS).
