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The Italian government is staging an early season pantomine over management of Health Services in Calabria that might be laughable if it weren't in the middle of a pandemic and which is eroding trust in the Health Minister, Roberto Speranza, who had held up well till now [Thread]
In 2018, Conte's first government (M5S-Lega) appointed a Commissioner to oversee Health Services in Calabria (then governed by PD), widely recognised as being in a very poor state. They chose Saverio Cotticelli, former Carabinieri General, who had commanded the prestigious NAS >>
NAS (Nucleo antisofisticazioni e sanità) specialises in enforcement of health laws & regulations in the food & medicine sectors, inspecting factories, farms, restaurants, hospitals, care homes etc.
Both M5S & Lega favoured appointing such figures to positions of responsibility >>
Both M5S & Lega favoured appointing such figures to positions of responsibility >>
In 2019, the government changed & became a PD-M5S coalition with support also from the small left-wing party LEU, which gained one Minister, Roberto Speranza, Minister for Health. Since Cotticelli had been an M5S choice, he remained in his position. Then, the Covid crisis hit >>
As we know, the first dramatic wave of coronavirus in Italy was mainly concentrated in the North and, thanks to a very strict nationwide lockdown, the South was only marginally affected and Health Services held up well, even in Calabria >>
Over the summer, Italian Regional goverments were told to draw up plans to cope with an expected second wave, which duly arrived. In the first week of November, the government in Rome decided to introduce a three-tier system, classifying regions as red, orange or yellow >>
Regions classified as red would face a lockdown similar to the one in spring, with all the economic & social consequences. The decision on classifying regions was given to the Minister for Health, based on a number of indicators >>
Of the first 4 regions to be classified as red, 3 (Lombardia, Piemonte, Valle d'Aosta) were in the North, only Calabria was in the South. So why was Calabria deemed to be a red zone? Not due to high infection rates but because of its poor Health Services, and another reason >>
Calabria was the only region in Italy not to have drawn up a plan for a second Covid wave, as requested by the Rome government.
On 6 November, a RAI journalist interviews Saverio Cotticelli, the Commissioner appointed to manage Calabria's Health Services >>
On 6 November, a RAI journalist interviews Saverio Cotticelli, the Commissioner appointed to manage Calabria's Health Services >>
It soon becomes apparent that Cotticelli is way out of his depth. He doesn't know how many ICU beds there are, nor how many are occupied. When asked about the regional Covid Plan, he says he didn't know who was responsible for drawing it up >> https://twitter.com/RaiTre/status/1324849547173072896?s=19
He says he wrote to the government in Rome to ask if he was responsible and they have only just replied to confirms that he is. He himself then admits that after this interview is broadcast he'll be out of a job. This proved to be the only thing he got right >>
He actually resigned the next day without waiting to be sacked. Incredibly, he was then interviewed on another TV programme and said he didn't understand his own behaviour in the original interview and thought he might have been drugged >> https://www.lastampa.it/cronaca/2020/11/08/news/quando-la-toppa-e-peggio-del-buco-cotticelli-e-il-caso-calabria-mi-hanno-drogato-non-ero-lucido-1.39516750
At this point, we have an incompetent person, desperately trying to justify his (in)actions and an embarrassed Health Minister. In the meantime, hospitals in Calabria start to struggle with lack of resources and staff, worsened by the absence of a regional Covid Plan >>
Health Minister Roberto Speranza can at least point to the fact that Cotticelli was chosen by the previous government, though that doesn't explain why he didn't notice incompetence & lack of Covid Plan. Still, he has the chance to make amends by appointing a new Commissioner >>
And here pantomine turns to farce. Speranza, who's been well respected up to now, noted for his seriousness (he never laughs) & his tendency to avoid TV studios, chooses Giuseppe Zuccatelli, experienced Health Service manager successful in previous trouble-shooting roles >>
Just a few hours pass before footage emerges of Zuccatelli saying, "masks are f...ing useless" & to be infected with coronavirus you need to "snog for 15 minutes." Cue clarification that this was at the start of the pandemic, when things were less clear >>
More embarrassment for Roberto Speranza, who decides to stand by his candidate saying that a stupid remark can't cancel out 30 years' experience & expertise.
Zuccatelli is contacted by journalists asking when he'll be taking up his post. You can possibly guess what comes next >>
Zuccatelli is contacted by journalists asking when he'll be taking up his post. You can possibly guess what comes next >>
"I don't know," says Zuccatelli, "because I've tested positive for Covid and am in isolation at home."
Then, a second more recent video emerges of Zuccatelli denying the utility of masks. This time it is curtains and he resigns from a job he never even started >>
Then, a second more recent video emerges of Zuccatelli denying the utility of masks. This time it is curtains and he resigns from a job he never even started >>
The buck passes back to Speranza. Surely, he can't get it wrong this time? Yes, he can. He appoints Eugenio Gaudio, a native of Calabria & former Rector of La Sapienza University in Rome. By now, it is too easy for the journalists >>
It's quickly discovered that Gaudio is under investigation for a question of fixing academic appointments at the University of Catania in 2019, though judicial sources say the case against him will probably be dismissed. After just 1 day he declines, citing "personal reasons" >>
And this is where we are at present. Pressure is now being brought on Speranza to appoint Gino Strada, doctor, pacifist, humanitarian activist, founder of medical NGO Emergency and, above all, independent of any political party, although left-wing by nature >>
Of course, all of this is happening against the dramatic backdrop of possibly the most socially and economically deprived region in Italy. The consequences of being a red zone, on top of the spring lockdown and general downturn, especially in tourism, are devastating >>
And, in the background, profiting from the whole sorry mess, there is the 'ndrangheta. If struggling businesses and families do not get adequate help from the state, they will turn to the 'ndrangheta, which has no shortage of cash and will pay out immediately >>
In the meantime, this is circulating on Italian Twitter
