The Emergency Room (ER) head at the hospital in Patti, near Messina, has been suspended. It follows an incident where a patient with a broken fibula was reportedly treated with a cardboard splint due to a lack of proper medical supplies.
The patient, Elia Natoli, who had been in a motorcycle accident, recounted that after his diagnosis, the attending doctor discovered no splints were available. Consequently, the doctor used cardboard to immobilise Natoli’s foot.
In response to the incident, the local health authority in Messina sent inspectors to investigate and subsequently suspended the ER head. The hospital’s director also faces disciplinary actions for the absence of essential medical materials. Sicily Governor Renato Schifani stated the investigation into the matter would continue.
Natoli’s father wrote on Facebook that, after his son was diagnosed with a broken fibula at the Patti hospital, “a doctor went to look for splints but found out there weren’t any left”.
“At that point, since he didn’t know what to do, the doctor used cardboard to immobilise my foot”, Natoli said.
Natoli eventually sought treatment at a private clinic in Messina, incurring a reported cost of €200 for proper care. The incident highlights significant deficiencies in the hospital’s preparedness and resources, prompting further scrutiny from health officials.
