Sicily Boosts Emergency Medical Response with New Rescue and Biocontainment Protocols

A new operational protocol was signed in the Prefecture of Messina to improve health emergency rescues across the Aeolian Islands. The agreement, involving the Milazzo Coast Guard, the Messina health authority (ASP) and the regional 118 emergency service (SEUS), defines coordinated procedures for rapid patient transfers when weather prevents helicopter evacuations. It authorises the use of Coast Guard rescue vessels to move patients from island ports to Lipari or Milazzo, where they can be taken to mainland hospitals, and allows doctors and 118 rescuers to board Coast Guard motorboats to assist on recreational vessels and facilitate inter‑island medical transfers.

In parallel, an advanced high‑biocontainment course was held on 3‑4 August 2026 at the Arnas Civico Di Cristina Benfratelli in Palermo. The training, organized by the central 118 operational unit for the Palermo‑Trapani basin together with the NBCR (National Bio‑Containment Response) unit and the Human Biosafety Health Foundation, prepared health operators to manage suspected Ebola cases, emphasizing biosafety, patient transport in high‑containment stretchers and coordinated crisis communication. Participants highlighted the value of prior pandemic training, noting that the Palermo NBCR unit is the only regionally accredited team for such high‑risk scenarios.