“From the screening carried out on medical transport personnel and volunteers, only 0.78 percent tested positive for the molecular swab. In December, 10,000 rapid swabs alone were assigned to the Red Cross, of which 2797 have been performed so far, with 22 positive: encouraging results, demonstrating the high degree of protection achieved also thanks to the personal protective equipment assigned. In these weeks, vaccinations are underway, about 30 percent of over 21,000 volunteers received the first dose, and we plan to reach 50, that is the totality of those who work on ambulances “: this is what the heads of the Red Cross, Anpas, Sogit and Aresa, the associations that deal with healthcare transport in Piedmont, reported in a hearing at the working group on the management of the Covid 19 emergency, chaired by Daniele Valle.
In the first wave of the pandemic, that of the March-April lockdown, one of the major problems encountered concerned personal protective equipment: “The quantities supplied by the Crisis Unit, which has always shown maximum collaboration on all fronts, were not sufficient to cover the entire requirement – the auditors said – and each association has tried to obtain supplies on the market and thanks to the donations received. The situation has gradually improved, now we are waiting for the costs incurred, which the Region has recognized to us, to be cleared ”.
The Region has also committed to supplying PPE for the period November 2020-March 2021, for over 2.3 million euros of purchases. The assignment was given to ASL To3 and currently deliveries are constant.
To cope with the increase in activity due to the emergency and the decrease in voluntary personnel due to the high risk associated with the work carried out, the associations have taken steps to derogate from the limits of recruitment, recruiting new staff in agreement with the client health companies for meet the demands.
Among the proposals put forward the request to the Region to evaluate the possibility of a tender to obtain non-repayable grants for the purchase of new ambulances and medical vehicles, many of which have worn out due to the use and continuous sanitization carried out. Furthermore, the request for a review of the agreements with the ASL for secondary inter-hospital transport, in light of the changed logistical conditions: the emergency linked to Covid has in fact required many more means, repeated sanitization and longer journeys between the structures, with problems of overlap of services and delays.
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