“The shift was exhausting” Antonella didn’t make it, she died in front of the other nurses at only 54 years old

“It was very difficult to work today,” says a colleague of the nurse who died prematurely while at work.

We have had the opportunity to learn, in case we hadn’t realized it in previous years, the amount of work and efforts put into hospital facilities by every nurse during the pandemic. What happened today gives a sign of how serious the crisis is in our health facilities and how professionals work in hospitals, at every level. The news of this woman, a nurse at work, who died of a sickness at workmust necessarily lead to a reflection on the healthcare sector in Italy.

The nurse, Antonella Cutinia 54-year-old woman, died of a heart attack while on duty at the Istituti Fisioterapici Ospedalieri (IFO) in Rome. The unexpected and sudden moment caught her under the helpless eyes of a colleague. The hospital community was greatly dismayed and the union protest was noisy, immediately referring to the exhausting work shifts.

“Today it was very difficult to work. I saw more than one colleague with shining eyes and even the men, usually impassive, were gloomy. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stop, even if we wanted to!”, writes Laura, a colleague of Antonella’s, on Facebook. It’s difficult to work with mourning in your heart, just as it is difficult to work with grueling shiftsespecially when the staff in the facilities, especially public ones, is limited and reduced to a minimum in these (now) “hospital-company”.

Roberta, another acquaintance of the deceased nurse, added: “We hope that the memory of your smile can warm our hearts. It is really difficult to process such a loss.” But it is not only the words of heartbroken friends and acquaintances that fill this void after the woman’s death. The Nursind nurses union expressed his condolences for the premature death of Antonella, which occurred just as he was out doing his duty.

According to the union, immediate intervention is needed to guarantee workers the necessary rest after their shifts. Stefano Barone, provincial secretary of Nursind Roma, announced that he will send a letter to the president of the Lazio Region, Francesco Rocca, to push regional institutions to hire staff based on the needs of the various healthcare facilities. “It is not right to exploit the availability of staff to work beyond hours without due remuneration. We have been reported numerous hours of unpaid overtime in recent times”.