Sardinia health authority scrutinized over director's travel expenses and hospital staffing crisis

The Regional Council of Sardinia has requested documentation and raised concerns about a sharp rise in out‑of‑office missions by Thomas Schael, the director general of the Regional Health Directorate. In his first hundred days he recorded eleven trips and eighteen nights away from Sardinia, costing €2,309.83, a level of frequency and expense that far exceeds that of his predecessors, who logged only a few trips over several years.

The council also highlighted a critical organisational and assistance problem at the pulmonology complex unit of the Santissima Trinità hospital in Cagliari. Chronic shortages of nursing and social‑health staff are jeopardising patient safety, increasing the risk of clinical errors, and prompting calls for either an urgent reinforcement of staff or a reduction in the unit’s beds to maintain safety standards.