Italian Emergency Responders Warn of Critical Hospital Overcrowding

Gioele Pitzanti, an ambulance operator with a volunteer rescue association, described severe conditions faced by emergency staff at the Santissima Trinità Hospital in Cagliari, Sardinia. He reported cramped corridors, non‑functioning air‑conditioning, lack of seating, and patients and ambulances forced to wait for hours in unsanitary environments. Pitzanti said crews sometimes spend entire nights stuck in corridors with patients, using personal stools for support, and that many cases could be treated at home but are sent to the Emergency Department, worsening crowding.

The operator highlighted that the “barell room” can barely fit four stretchers, causing subsequent ambulances to wait outside while patients remain on board. He warned that the situation jeopardizes timely medical response and breaches the right to health, calling for urgent improvements to the department’s infrastructure and procedures.