Doctors, from today stop new contracts for tokenists: alarm in hospitals

As of 31 July, there will be a stop to the renewal of the contracts of so-called 'token' doctors who are employed, often to a large extent, in hospitals and emergency rooms (Ps) to cope with staff shortages. Obviously, the signing of new contracts will also no longer be possible, while existing ones will remain valid until their natural expiry date.

The use of tokenists has been at the centre of heated controversy, not least because of the high fees envisaged for these professionals, and Health Minister Orazio Schillaci himself has repeatedly emphasised the need to combat the phenomenon. But in various hospitals there is concern about the gradual disappearance of these figures, even though the ASLs are working on alternative measures and, at the moment, it is mainly the imminent holidays that are causing concern.

"At the moment, however, there are no particularly critical situations in the hospitals due to the loss of these professionals, since their activities will be able to continue, in a diversified manner, until the expiry of their existing contracts," explains Pierino Di Silverio, secretary of the Anaao-Assomed hospital doctors' union, emphasising that the imminent problem "is instead that of holidays for medical and health personnel: from 31 July the real risk is that hospital doctors will not be able to go on holiday due to the shortage of staff. This, notes Di Silverio, "regardless of the tokenists".

The problem nevertheless remains, as emphasised by the president of the Italian Society of Emergency Medicine (Simeu), Alessandro Riccardi. Currently, in fact, according to Simeu estimates, '18% of the staff shortages in the Ps is covered with doctors coming from cooperatives, and 42% of these contracts will expire in three months' time, and in some facilities the 'token doctors' come to cover over 60% of the shifts'. 'It is obvious,' he comments, 'that with the end of their contracts, albeit progressive, the shortage of staff will worsen, with a strong impact on the hospital service. The reduction of token workers is positive, but concrete alternative solutions are lacking at the moment'.

 .