Italian hospitals collapse: Over 1,100 patients waiting to be admitted in Rome

Just a few days ago, ambulances were queuing outside hospitals in Rome. In other regions, such as Lombardy, patients are crammed into waiting rooms until a bed becomes available.

In cities such as Turin, hospital overcrowding has even led to a shortage of stretchers for patients.

Emergency departments in Italian hospitals are in chaos and on the verge of collapse.

The worst situation is in Rome and its region, where more than 1,100 patients are waiting to be admitted, according to the Italian Society of Emergency Medicine and Urgent Care (Simeu).

"We are trying to guarantee the service, but we are in an extremely difficult situation," Simeu president Fabio de Laco explained.

According to Simeu, the number of patients waiting in Piedmont has reached some 500, while in Lombardy and its capital, Milan, normal hospital admissions have been suspended in order to "free up" some beds for emergencies.

The rise in hospital admissions, which has put pressure on the Italian health system, is due to an increase in "respiratory diseases, especially among the elderly".

"Covid has slightly decreased in the last week, flu is spreading, but other viruses have also caused 'overcrowding' in hospitals and a very strong pressure on emergency services," De Laco explained on Tuesday, according to local media.

In fact, in the week before Christmas, from December 18 to 24, "the influenza epidemic curve showed an incidence value never reached in previous seasons," according to the latest epidemiological bulletin from the Higher Institute of Health.

And the situation is far from stabilising, according to the Italian agency itself.

"Several regions have activated plans to combat overcrowding in hospitals and health companies in order to find additional beds,