He refers to the Rubicon, to be precise he would be a community pediatrician in the area, a doctor currently in trouble. This is the professional under house arrest on the very serious accusation of having abused a 33-year-old patient from Fano admitted to a long-term rehabilitation center on the Rimini coast, a facility accredited until 2023 by the National Health Service.
The Rimini prosecutor accuses him of the crime of sexual violence aggravated by having committed the act in violation of the duties of a professional in a public service, such as patient care. Three days ago, a precautionary custody order was issued against him by the investigating judge of the Rimini court, Vinicio Cantarini, at the end of an investigation conducted by the carabinieri coordinated by the deputy prosecutor Davide Ercolani. He will have to remain at his home without any possibility of leaving it unless with express authorization from the judge. At the end of her hospitalization at the Rimini facility, the abused woman, suffering from motor and mental deficits, told her mother that she had been subjected to harassment by the doctor, who is a 67-year-old originally from Bologna. The man’s unwanted attentions one night culminated in actual non-consensual sexual intercourse. The girl’s mother did not hesitate to file a complaint at the Fano police station. Subsequently, the girl, assisted by a psychologist, was interviewed by the investigators to whom she confirmed the episode of which she was the victim. She reliably and consistently described the alleged harassment which was followed by a strong feeling of shame and discomfort. The Carabinieri’s investigations then continued with wiretaps and interviews with some alleged witnesses who would have supported the accusation against the doctor, who is assisted by the lawyer Massimiliano Orrù. The professional said he was unfamiliar with the facts and ready to defend himself in a timely manner. He is registered in the medical register of the province of Forlì-Cesena, from which he should be suspended “ope legis”, by force of law. “Disciplinary proceedings of suspension will be initiated against him – says Dr. Michele Gaudio, president of the Cesena medical association – and subsequently, in the event of conviction, disbarment from the order. Unfortunately, this year there have already been at least three measures of this type, and to say that it is already a dark period for healthcare due to other problems. Unfortunately, I have to admit that there is no shortage of colleagues who have done the wrong job. We will ask the Rimini prosecutor’s office for confirmation of the doctor’s identity and we will proceed according to ours regulation”. The case of the community pediatrician arrested on charges of sexual assault on a patient suffering from motor and mental disabilities has shocked the local community and raised numerous questions about the management of public health. The fact that the accusations come from a patient admitted to a facility accredited by the National Health Service makes the case even more serious. The fact has also generated a wave of indignation within the Medical Association, which has already started disciplinary proceedings. The situation further aggravates an already critical situation for local healthcare, marked by other difficulties and scandals.
Elide Giordani
