BARI – Among the various issues discussed today during the hearings held in the Region at the Health Commission, chaired by councilor Mauro Vizzino (Populari con Emiliano), there was the one concerning the critical issues regarding the territorial assistance unit of Maglie. The request for hearing was presented by the group leader of La Puglia tomorrow, Paolo Pagliaro. Who, after the discussion he had with Cristina Del Prete, director of the Rehabilitation Department, and Cosimo Esposito, director of the Territorial Assistance Department, did not fail to express his dissatisfaction.
“Apart from the high-tech and robotic rehabilitation center which should be built by the end of 2025 on the renovated ground floor, the critical issues of the former Maglie hospital remain virtually unresolved, which we highlighted following our inspection visit last February”, is the comment by Pagliaro, according to which the necessary would not have been done in the eight months between his visit and today to fill the many shortcomings found.
For Pagliaro, in short, the responses of the managers of the Lecce Local Health Authority would be “justifications that have already been heard a thousand times: the difficulty of finding doctors, especially specialists; the difficulty of reorganizing spaces that are often very dated; the need not to overlap services in the same territory, while we maintain that each facility must offer essential diagnostic services, especially to the older and more fragile population who do not have the possibility of moving around independently”. And the finger of accusation was pointed at Michele Emiliano, “president-councilor for health – commented Pagliaro – who does not give answers on the necessary reorganization of a very deficient regional health network, especially in Salento. In the Lecce Local Health Authority alone – he highlighted – 4 thousand hours of specialist training have been cut in the last three and a half years”.
“Returning to Maglie – continued Pagliaro, summarizing his reflections – for the strengthening of local services we heard the usual fairy tale of the investment plan being repeated, practically a dream book with nothing certain. In fact, there is no radiologist and the X-ray machine transferred from the Martano unit remains on standby. Good news for Plastic Surgery, which was closed in February, thanks to the arrival of a new specialist.”
“The Ophthalmology day service continues to operate well – continues the regional councilor –, despite the fact that the second autorefractometer requested for some time has not arrived, which could allow us to increase the number of operations. Nothing new for the community hospital, the UDT for non-self-sufficient patients: a structure inaugurated several times but never entered into operation, again due to lack of staff. By March 2026, various structures like this are planned to be activated in the ASL Lecce with Pnrr funds, but in fact at the moment they only work in Nardò and Campi Salentina. As for the safety problems for the operators of the clinic – added Pagliaro –, we were told that it is a widespread emergency”.
“There is still no date for the activation of the new clinic for chronic pathologies, and the lack of specialists is holding back the project”, continued the group leader of La Puglia tomorrow. “There is, however, a delivery date for the rehabilitation center financed with the Carrapa inheritance received from the local health authority last August: December 2025”. It was provided by Cristina Maria Del Prete.
The reply from the ASL of Lecce
For its part, the Lecce Local Health Authority thus summarized the answers provided to Pagliaro through the two directors of the relevant structures present in the Commission today. “The critical issues relating to the services provided in the PTA have been resolved or are in the process of being resolved and in the Maglie PTA the construction site for a high-tech and robotic district rehabilitation facility has already begun”.
That is, a remote control was transferred from the Martano District to the Radiology of the Maglie PTA, where an ultrasound machine is also active for the abdominal ultrasound service. With respect to the colonoscope, indicated in the request for hearing, in the District of Maglie the managers explained that an endoscopy service is not currently active, which is why the instrument would not be used.
The stereotactic table, in turn, is not intended for first level screening and for this reason will not be purchased. The ophthalmology department has a full booking agenda – the ASL managers said – and the Day Service operates for five sessions a week with four surgeons. Confirming, therefore, that it would indeed be appropriate to equip the service with an additional autorefractometer. The electromyograph, configured in its characteristics, is included in the investment plan of the robotics center and two Bobath beds have already been purchased.
“The Maglie PTA – they say, again, from the ASL – is at the center of a strategic project in the rehabilitation sector. Renovation works have begun for the construction of a high-tech and robotic district rehabilitation facility. The rehabilitation centre, which will be located on the ground floor of the Maglie territorial assistance unit, a former hospital, will be equipped with cutting-edge equipment at the service of rehabilitation medicine”.
Furthermore: “The premises will be completely renovated and will accommodate a rehabilitation area of approximately 100 square metres, two medical offices and three rooms dedicated to electromyographic and ultrasound diagnostics, neurocognitive and speech therapy rehabilitation. New generation and high-tech robotic equipment will be used which will allow us to increase the intensity of treatments and create personalized protocols for the needs of patients even with serious and disabling pathologies and compromises from a motor point of view”.
The administrative measures to effectively execute the project are all underway. The purchasing procedures for robotic technologies, telerehabilitation platforms and virtual reality have also been completed, some of which are already being delivered.
LeccePrima is also on Whatsapp. Follow us on our channel.
