We have over forty years of experience, but never before have we found ourselves facing such an extensive and complex emergency.
We have always worked to improve the living conditions of the elderly and people with motor disabilities in a tangible manner: individuals with precise and complex fragilities and needs that often have to be handled with the collaboration of a plurality of parties with specific professional skills.
The world of disability
Our work therefore intersects increasingly often with the technical and professional activities of orthopaedic and medical supply shops, with the specialised work of all medical professionals linked to the world of disability and with prosthetics assistance offices.
The Covid-19 emergency has resulted in a suspension of operations for all companies in the orthopaedics and prosthetics sector and cessation of continuous territorial assistance activities.
This shut-down has been extended to the entire prosthetics assistance chain and has currently halted fundamental support for around three million people in Italy.
Such a complex situation, which is necessary to focus resources and medical personnel on fighting the SARS-Cov-2 virus, now risks further weakening the elderly and people with disabilities.
A dialogue with the institutions
In order to deal with all of this, in addition to acting to respond to the emergency and to continue our day-to-day activities, we have started a dialogue with the institutions, acting as the spokesperson for the interests of the final users of our aids.
Thanks to the action of Alessandro Berti, our Regulatory and Public Affairs Officer and President of the Associazione Ausili in Confindustria Dispositivi Medici, and in collaboration with Alessandro Maggi, President of Assortopedia Confindustria Federvarie, Antonio Gaiani, President of CIDOS, Massimo Pulin, President of Confapi Sanità and Flavio Lorenzin, of Confimi Industria, we have requested the urgent intervention of the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza, the Vice Minister, Pierpaolo Sileri, and the President of the Autonomous Regions and Provinces, Stefano Bonaccini.
Unanimously with the associations and federations involved, we have asked for the procedure of prescription, authorisation and supply of prosthetic devices to be restarted and for payment of the outstanding amounts for all services already supplied to patients through the national health service.
Return to work
The only possible way to guarantee full assistance to all people with disabilities is reopening of specialist clinics and a return to work of all the specialists involved. This will allow a return to clinic activities, the preparation of a treatment plan and the subsequent prescription for a prosthetic aid.
The entire supply chain of orthopaedic companies and manufacturers is therefore ready to do its part in this emergency, in the interest of the patients and in compliance with the provisions of the current Dpcm (President of the Council of Minister’s Decree) of 12 January 2017.
