What happens at San Giovanni Bosco in Naples? It is in the hands of the Contini clan. It is the clan that runs the bar and the vending machines; the clan that imposes irregular hospitalizations; who demands and obtains false medical certificates… But how did the Camorra manage to sneak into the hospital? Did anyone notice? Has anyone reported it? Who paid and will continue to pay the costs?
And here is the most painful news: among those under investigation there would also be some doctors, a lawyer, several employees. A gang of criminals, therefore. It is dangerous and misleading to continue talking only about the Contini Clan.
Father Maurizio Patriciello, parish priest of Caivano in Naples
(HANDLE)
The Camorra would be an easily eradicated cancer if it had not been capable of establishing strong and lasting links with parts of the institutions. His strength, in fact, lies precisely in this suffocating embrace. The Camorra member, whatever clan he belongs to, is easily identifiable, especially when he puts his hands in fields that are completely foreign to him, such as, for example, that of healthcare. How would evil people, yes, but also incompetent in the matter, identify suitable places and moments for their shady deals if not adequately informed and encouraged by the experts themselves?
“Hands off Hippocrates”: we are the first to be convinced of this; the first to take to the field alongside the medical and paramedical staff, who are often threatened and attacked by people who believe they have not been adequately treated. No, no one should be allowed to raise a finger against a white coat. I worked in a hospital for ten years before I felt the call to the priesthood.
It has happened to me too – and not just once – to have to deal with rude, angry, threatening, violent people. The truth, however, must be told: many times a pinch of good will, a kind word, a little patience would have been enough to extinguish the indignation that exasperated them. Those who suffer deserve respect. More than that, it deserves sharing, pity, humanity. Anyone who cares for a sick person is considered fragile himself. The hospital is a sanctuary before which you take off your hat and shoes before entering. A sacred place where children, kids, youngsters, parents, old people, fight, pray, hope. We need to be able to empathize with them, their fears, their hopes. It’s true that not everything depends on the staff. On the contrary, it often happens that we find ourselves faced with wonderful and attentive staff who, however, have to deal with malfunctioning structures and cumbersome bureaucracy.
Above all, we need to highlight the corruption and collusion of the Camorra members in suits and ties. They are the absolute worst. To tell the truth, as much as the news saddened me, it didn’t surprise me at all. I remember the last months of my brother Franco’s life as if it were yesterday. Admitted to that very hospital, together with him, we had to suffer a lot from the many bitter pills that we had to swallow every day. Oddities were happening before everyone’s eyes, yet no one seemed to notice. When an anomaly is reiterated ten, a hundred, a thousand times, it takes on a sort of passport of normality. The bad thing in our beloved land is precisely this: living with irregularities, getting used to it, resigning yourself. Everyone, therefore, at that moment, thinks above all of bringing relief to the loved one hospitalized there. Turning a blind eye, sometimes two, submitting to little blackmail, hoping it ends soon and heading home.
One memory in particular haunts me. One day, I was watching over my brother who had recently had a tracheotomy. Great attention had to be paid to hygiene. We found ourselves next to the bed, an itinerant and illegal sock dealer. I made him understand to leave the room. Angry at the rejection, he threw his dangerous merchandise on the bed. How had he gotten in? Who had allowed him to enter the room of a patient who had recently undergone throat cancer surgery? You could feel the fear of going against “those people” in the air. Remove the Camorra from our hospitals. Away with the Camorra from San Giovanni Bosco. Away with the colluded and corrupt from our democratic institutions. Let’s bring hospitals back to their ancient dignity. Let’s stop considering them just healthcare companies attentive to profit and customers. We put the patient back in the center. For the good of all, let’s put the sick person – our sick people – back at the centre.
