Italian Village Bans Residents From Falling Ill. Here's Why

Belcastro is a remote village in the southern region of Calabria, Italy. Nearly half of its 1,200 residents are aged above 65 and the nearest emergency department is over 45km away.

Belcastro, a remote village in the southern region of Calabria in Italy has banned residents from falling ill.

Source : X@greenMe_it

A small village in Italy's southern region has banned its residents from becoming seriously ill. The unusual decree was given by local Mayor Antonio Torchia, in which he ordered people of the Belcastro village to not fall sick and rest as much as possible.

In the decree,Torchio stated that people living in Belcastro are "... ordered to avoid contracting any illness that may require emergency medical assistance." 

"It is therefore advisable to not go out too often or travel or play sports, remaining instead at rest as much as possible," the order added.

Residents have also been ordered "not to engage in behaviours that may be harmful and to avoid domestic accidents", and "not to leave the house too often, travel or practise sports, and to [instead] rest for the majority of the time".

Torchia said the decision was "obviously a humorous provocation", but that it was having more of an effect than the other urgent notices he had sent to regional authorities to highlight the shortcomings of the local healthcare system in the village, BBC reported.

It is unclear if and how these new rules will be enforced.

Belcastro's Poor Health Infrastructure

Belcastro is a remote village located in the southern region of Calabria, which is one of poorest regions in Italy. Nearly half of Belcastro's 1,200 residents are aged above 65 and the nearest Accident & Emergency (A&E) department is more than 45km (28 miles) away, the mayor said.

Torchia told Italian TV that it was difficult to "feel safe when you know that if you need assistance, your only hope is to make it to [A&E] on time".

He added that the A&E could only be reached by a road which has a 30kmh (18mph) speed limit. The mayor also said that the roads were almost "more of a risk than any illness".

The village's on-call doctor surgery is also available rarely and offers no cover during weekends, holidays or after hours, the report said.

Political mismanagement and mafia interference have decimated the healthcare system of this sparsely populated region of Calabria, which was put under special administration almost 15 years ago.

Since then the Rome-appointed commissioners have faced difficulties managing the vast levels of debt faced by hospitals. This has caused Calabrians a serious lack of medical personnel and beds and interminable waiting lists.

At least eighteen of the region's hospitals have closed since 2009, resulting almost half of Calabria's residents to seek medical assistance outside the region.

Belcastro residents supported Mayor Torchia and told told local media that he had "done the right thing in shining a light on the issue", and that the move would "shake consciences".

"He has used a provocative decree to attract attention on a serious problem," one man said, BBC reported.