Quite
probably, when this issue of the magazine is distributed, we will already know
the names of the members of the new government who, according to the promises
made, will have to reform the rules in Italy. These names will obviously include
the new Health Minister.
Whoever he is, in our opinion and experience, in order to have an impact on
and carry out effective and essential change, his first measure should be to
modify current procedures for competitive exams, so as to restore that modicum
of ethics, professionalism and credibility that our important sector requires.
Holding competitive exams with positions assigned a priori to specific candidates
is not only illegal, it is also immoral, both in terms of the other participants
and for the exams themselves, which in this way are disqualified and lose all
value, as the institutions lose what little credibility they have left.
This way of doing things compromises the winners' image, since they are suspected
of having obtained their position fraudulently, even when this is not the case,
and at the same time it damages the image of those shut out. Having said that,
if the system of direct selection, by the chief physician or someone else in
his behalf, is deemed valid, then this practice should be made official and
utilized.
This would avoid the hypocrisy of the staged exams and the futile expenses for
the candidates, who are unaware that they have already lost and must in any
case endure the psychological discomfort of not having passed the exam, which
for some can be frustrating and prejudicial to their career.
This would not only bring clarity, but the consultant, or someone in his behalf,
who made the choice becomes directly responsible for the results of that choice.
Dear Minister-without-a-name, this is the starting point for undertaking an
effective moralization of Italian health care, and on this point we will continue
to point out all the shortcomings. A recent survey of television viewers documented
that the news that gets the biggest audience share is news about medicine.
Maybe, or maybe not, this attentiveness towards health is due to the fact that
eventually we all find ourselves having to clash with the institutions and the
bureaucracy over health problems, which often go unresolved. Perhaps because
of this ongoing presence in the media, those in the new parliament with medical
degrees outnumber those with law degrees, who previously held the top position.
As they say these days, medicine and doctors are trendy.
We are definitely curious about one thing: how is it that so many doctors are
devoting themselves to politics?
If you know, help us to understand! (traduzione Interpres sas-Giussano)
