My fate has given me a strange destiny. I had the opportunity to treat my first burned patients during my internship before graduating as a volunteer at the Semiotics Chirurgic at Federico II University of Naples. During the first year of my specialty in 1978, I found myself doing endless shifts on weekends at the Burn Centre of Niguarda, Milan.
The treatment of burns has become one of my main interests. I dreamed for years of working in a burn center. For one year in 1992, I was the head of the burn center in Luanda, Angola. In 1994 I finally got to work at the Burn Centre in Rome. I am also very so dedicated to the treatment of burns in children
When in 2005 the old head retired rather than make a regular competition were entrusted the responsibility of the terapy of burned patients to another colleague without any assessment of the curriculum.
In 2007 the ASL RMC merged the Center of Plastic Surgery and Burns so the head of Plastic Surgery became the head also of Burn Center . After he decided to close it for two years to carry out renovations. In 2009 I finally did an assignment that, although characterized by a number of ambiguities, I accepted with enthusiasm because it allowed me to realize my dream of running the Burns Centre of Rome.
Immediately, I received positive results. Mortality rates improved , and I could give patients prompt attention and treatment. get the survival of patients of the classes of severity that are before considered irrecoverable. (Testimonials)
Unfortunately, my inability to get political backing maked me susceptible to a series of attacks that caused me trouble, so I had to ask to be assigned to other duties.
I do not know if my experiences with treating burns is now really over or is it merely a brief respite In other countries , regardless of their democratic process, and cultural and social progress, when a professional is in my current condition, he is again on the market and waits and evaluates proposals for new work.
I know that this can not happen in Italy, indeed all will rush to give passively his approvation to those who put me in this condition. Maybe I can consider a release the happened for some aspects related to the “burn out” that would certainly cause the care of burn victims, especially because I personally took care of the whole part of care intensivist and not only of surgery of burned patients. But I have left a bitter taste to know to live in a country where meritocracy is an unattainable goal.
