Nuoro,Sardinia Mourns Dr. Maddalena: Family Doctor Dies of Heart Attack While Caring for 5,000 Patients
Nuoro, Sardinia – Dr. Maddalena, a family doctor in the Nuorese region of Sardinia, has died of a heart attack, prompting renewed concerns about the strain on Italy’s healthcare system and the overwhelming workloads faced by general practitioners. The physician, who cared for approximately 5,000 patients, is being remembered by colleagues as having dedicated her life to serving the community, and her death is being described as occurring “at work.”
The passing of Dr. Maddalena underscores a growing crisis within Italy’s territorial medicine, were inadequate staffing and resources are pushing doctors to their limits. The Simg, a medical union, emphasized the need for “real investments and adequate resources,” including administrative and nursing support, to address the pressures faced by family doctors, notably in underserved areas. The Fimmg, the main union of general medicine professionals, called Dr. Maddalena’s death “the inhuman face of assistance overload,” highlighting the immense responsibilities placed on GPs, especially in regions with meaningful healthcare deficiencies.
News of Dr. Maddalena’s death comes amid reports of a growing exodus of young Italian doctors seeking opportunities abroad. According to Virgilio Notizie,over 5,000 young doctors have left Italy in the past year,raising fears about the future sustainability of the national healthcare service (SSN).
“This death must make you think about the workloads required of general practitioners, even more in territories in which the deficiencies are enormous and the assistance falls entirely on family doctors,” stated the Fimmg in a released note. Investigations are ongoing into the circumstances surrounding Dr. Maddalena’s death, but her colleagues and union representatives are clear: this tragedy is a symptom of a system under immense strain.
