Calabria, among the poorest regions in southern Italy, concerned about the second coronavirus outbreak, is ungovernable after the

third resignation in ten days by the person responsible for fighting the pandemic.

Just appointed by the Government,

Eugenio Gaudio

, a doctor and former rector of the prestigious Roman University La Sapienza, resigned on Tuesday claiming that his wife did not want to move to Calabria, classified as a red zone due to the increase in infections and the fragility of the health system.

Despite registering only 187 deaths during the second wave of coronavirus, of the 46,000 across the country since the start of the pandemic in March, Calabria, the region known for the

'Ndranghetta'

, the feared mafia specialized in drug trafficking with ramifications in Latin America, it is one of the greatest challenges for the current government led by

Giuseppe Conte.

Gaudio's rejection joined the chain of resignations within a few days of being appointed as responsible for the region's health sector, forcing Conte to apologize to the country.

"I am very sorry,

the Calabrians deserve an answer after so many years of mismanagement of the health system,

" he admitted in an interview with the newspaper

La Stampa

published on Wednesday.

"I take full responsibility," he

said when referring to the appointments of Gaudio, Saverio Cotticelli, a former general of the carabinieri and Giuseppe Zuccatelli, the last two involved in controversies related to the pandemic.

"Now is the time to appoint the right people

,

"

Conte announced.

Emergency arrives

The Calabria region, with a chronic shortage of medical personnel, outdated infrastructure, a powerful mafia involved in public tenders, has lived in a state of emergency since 2010, governed by a commissioner.

Most Calabrians are forced to travel to other regions

to undergo specialized medical treatments.

With the highest unemployment rate in the country, 21% in 2019, with peaks of 30.6% among young people, it

has the lowest per capita income in the peninsula.

The health sector, which absorbs half the budget designated for the entire region, according to data from

Corriere della Sera,

has for decades represented the biggest loot for the mafia, thanks to its systematic looting.

"Calabria has been in an emergency for ten years and the situation is now dramatic due to the pandemic," denounced

Emilio Viafora

, president of Federconsumatori, one of the most important associations for the defense of consumers.

Faced with such a situation, Conte announced an agreement between the Civil Protection and the NGO Emergency, founded by the renowned Milanese doctor

Gino Strada

, who for years has worked in war zones, to operate in Calabria.

"A reckless challenge for the founder Emergency, who agrees to work in a land as complicated and risky as Afghanistan."

Emergency will go into operation immediately with the installation of field hospitals, Covid hotels and triage operations for the selection and classification of patients.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Italy

  • Coronavirus

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Coronavirus The second wave of Covid runs amok in Italy with 580 deaths in 24 hours, the worst figure since April

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