Strike in the delivery room, involving gynaecologists and midwives

Gynaecologists and midwives are on the warpath. The spending review, on the one hand, and the unbridled increase in medical-legal cases are putting the work on the wards … and in the delivery room, in crisis.

This is why medical personnel have said they will strike on 12 February. And so, for one day, there will be no births, medical examinations or surgical operations. “Of course, all emergencies will be guaranteed,” explained Prof. Fabio Ghezzi, a gynaecologist at the Del Ponte Hospital, “but the strike is over very important issues, so most of the staff will be taking part.”

The strike will be one more of inaction than action, as all planned examinations and non-urgent tests and operations will be suspended. “Any necessary tests will also be done,” assures the Head Physician of the hospital in Busto Arsizio, Paolo Beretta, “but for everything else, patients will have to ask for another appointment. We can’t put up with the situation any more. We’ve reached truly intolerable levels of activity, not to mention the legal suits, which spoil the relationship of trust between the doctor and the patient, as well as the atmosphere on the ward.”

The strike has been called by the main professional associations: the Italian association of hospital obstetricians and gynaecologists (AOGIO), the Italian society of gynaecology (SIGO), the association of university gynaecologists (AGUI), the federation of staff physicians (Fesmed), the association of territorial gynaecologists (AGITE), the Italian society of obstetric and gynaecological ultrasound and biophysical methods (SIEOG), and the Italian association of obstetrics (AIO).

However, to prevent the shutdown of births, the Minister, Renato Balduzzi, is meeting representatives of all of the unions involved, tomorrow, Friday, 18 January.