"If I have an emergency that is not an emergency room, who should I turn to?"

I would like some clarification: last Saturday I tried to contact my doctor for a sudden worsening of a cough that wouldn't go away, but the phone was switched off. Ditto on Sunday. I understand the right to rest, but if I have an emergency that is not yet an emergency room, who should I contact? It seems absurd to me that a citizen remains totally uncovered for two whole days every week. Stefano, Udine.

The question is unfortunately a very common one, and touches on an issue that is fundamental to the protection of the right to health: continuity of care. We fully understand the sense of bewilderment one feels when, faced with a health problem, one is unable to contact one's own doctor. It is important to clarify that the General Practitioner (GP) operates under an agreement with the National Health Service, observing specific outpatient hours, usually from Monday to Friday. To guarantee care coverage in the remaining time slots, the system provides specific services. Here are the useful references for managing these situations.

From 8.00 p.m. to 8.00 a.m. every weekday, and h24 on public holidays and pre-holidays), the continuity of care service (formerly medical emergency service) is active. The aim is precisely to provide a service even during the hours when general practitioners' offices are usually closed. The continuity of care doctor can prescribe drugs for emergency treatment, issue sickness certificates (limited to public holidays) and decide, after telephone consultation, for a home or outpatient visit.

At the national level, citizens have specific tools at their disposal in order not to remain 'uncovered'. I the unique number 116117: In many Italian regions, the Harmonised European Number for non-urgent medical treatment is active. By calling 116117 you are put in contact with an operator or a doctor who assesses your need and directs you to the nearest or most appropriate service. The number is active, or being activated, in several Italian regions. To date, the service is operational in Lombardy, Piedmont, Tuscany, Sardinia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto (with exceptions) and in the Autonomous Province of Trento, with activations underway in Lazio (Rome and province). In the activation/extension phase: Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Marche, Apulia, Sicily and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano.

It is always advisable to check the portals of your local health authorities for local coverage.