No material!

Tragicomedy: Cardboard instead of plaster after fibula fracture

(Bild: Elia Natoli)

No material! After hours of waiting, medics in Sicily improvise and cause a stir.

Elia Natoli, 30, would never have thought that a fall from his motorcycle would make him the center of a media storm. "It all started with a stupid fall," says Elia from the Italian city of Messina in Sicily.

After a visit to the family doctor, where no hydrogen peroxide was available, Elia was sent to Patti hospital.

"They took cardboard from the hazardous waste"
There, hours passed without medical treatment while he waited in increasing pain. After an X-ray, the diagnosis: fibula fracture! However, the hospital had no splints. "They took cardboard from the hazardous waste", Elia reported in local media. So the ankle was provisionally stabilized and he was discharged, with instructions to see an orthopaedic surgeon on Monday.

They do what they can, but they don't have the resources. This shines a harsh light on the shortcomings of our healthcare system.

Patient Elia Natoli nach seiner Behandlung im Spital auf Sizilien

The temporary cast didn't last long. Elia called a doctor friend who put her in touch with an aid organization. With their help and video instructions from a doctor, Elia finally received a proper splint and plaster cast.

"Tragicomic" incident
On Monday, the man went to a private medical center in Messina, where he was treated for 200 euros. On his return, the Sicilian governor Renato Schifani contacted him personally to apologize for the "tragicomic" incident.