Bronte hospital maternity ward closure dispute

The maternity ward at Bronte Hospital has been officially closed following a decision by the Director General of the ASP Catania, Giuseppe Laganga Senzio. This measure formalizes a suspension of services that had been in place since 2023 and includes the dismantling of the entire Obstetrics and Gynecology department.

The closure has sparked a political dispute between local leaders. The Mayor of Bronte, Giuseppe Gullotta, criticized the decision as “sciagurata” (disastrous), arguing that it deprives surrounding municipalities of essential healthcare. In response, the Mayor of Biancavilla, Antonio Bonanno, described these comments as “inopportuno” (inappropriate).

Following the closure, the CISAL union has advocated for the protection of the maternity unit at the Castiglione-Prestianni Hospital in Bronte. Union representatives have called on authorities to ensure service continuity, arguing that the ward is essential for the security of communities in the Etna and Nebrodi mountain areas. They contend that evaluating the service based solely on birth numbers fails to account for the difficulties of mountain life, such as weather and travel times, and that preserving the unit is vital to combat depopulation and declining birth rates in Sicily's mountainous regions.