Use first aid only if absolutely necessary. The heat is asphyxiating and the Italians are leaving for the holidays. August will be a crowded month in seaside or mountain resorts, but be careful not to transform emergency health principals into outpatient facilities. It's the call of the Italian Federation of Healthcare and Hospitals (Faso). In recent days throughout Italy have been messi additional beds are available in internal medicines and in the departments dedicated to minor codes. The cities they had temperatures around 40 degrees they were on average 12-15 every day. Now we learn that to lighten the load of access to emergency rooms, hospitals have increased the number of beds in internal wards. “The support of general practitioners and local services must not be lacking or the situation will become critical,” he explains John Better President of Faso and General Manager of the Bari Giovanni XIII° hospital. It is a good omen but in many local areas it is difficult to see it realized. The Federation has launched the appeal on the basis of the latest findings: +30% access to emergency rooms.
The effects of climate on health
The rush to the nearest health center was the response of millions of Italians worried about heatstroke, from the aggravation of previous pathologies accentuated by climate change. The climate effects they make themselves felt on the elderly, children, people suffering from heart disease, hypertension or respiratory diseases. "We are recording an average increase in accesses of 30% and healthcare and hospital companies are modulating the reception capacity, with additional beds in internal medicine or clinics dedicated to minor codes to lighten the load of accesses in the emergency rooms", adds Migliore . The climatic situation characterized by high temperatures and prolonged heat waves has posed difficulties for the health system. The hospital doctors say that thanks to the collaboration of the health authorities, the increased demand for medical care is being responded to promptly. The appeal not to crowd emergency rooms is accompanied by protection from high temperatures. On the territory, it is true, there are also awareness campaigns, toll-free numbers and home assistance services. Italy is not united, there are profound differences. THE contexts change from place to place. The basic problem remains basic medicine, general medicine, as Migliore admits. The pandemic has shown that not only in the event of extreme phenomena, but continuously, the interrelationships between pathologies and climatic-environmental factors should be kept under control.
“Vulnerable populations are simultaneously experiencing the growing burden of chronic disease, disabilities, environmental alterations, demographic imbalance, social and economic inequalities” wrote the Association of Environmental Doctors, Isde, at the end of 2022. Only in a few cases have there been developments in this sense. The link between climate and health is increasingly evident and if emergency rooms are not crowded, they are often the only places where more serious problems can be avoided. Primary care is the weak link in an aging population. An industry that has lost 37 billion euros in ten years.
