UPI – The mayor of an Italian village has issued a unique proclamation: residents are officially “banned” from falling ill due to ongoing issues with local healthcare access.
Mayor Antonio Torchia of Belcastro, Calabria, humourously decreed that residents should avoid contracting serious illnesses or injuries requiring emergency care. Instead, he advised locals to focus on resting and avoiding risky activities.
Torchia later clarified that the lighthearted proclamation was intended to highlight the pressing inadequacies of the village’s healthcare system, drawing attention to a serious issue through satire.
The mayor said about half of the village’s 1,200 residents are over the age of 65. The nearest emergency hospital is located nearly 30 miles away, and is only accessible via a road with an 18 mph speed limit.
The village has an on-call doctor, but the service is not available during nights, weekends or holidays.
Calabria is one of the poorest regions in Italy, and has seen 18 hospitals shuttered since 2009. Cube announced in 2022 that 497 doctors would be sent to Calabria over the course of three years to help staff the region’s medical facilities.
