Sardinia's regional government has made the Mater Olbia Hospital its COVID-19 facility in northern Sardinia. As the Sardinia Region has ordered, Mater Olbia will use its resources and expertise to counter the coronavirus outbreak on the island, the hospital said in a statement.
Four intensive care beds have already been made available, accredited and are already operational for hospitalizations of greater complexity requiring intensive respiratory assistance.
A non-intensive COVID ward (16 beds) is also operational, while a new Infectious Diseases ward (15 beds) will open shortly, in a negative pressure environment, the statement said.
From next week, the entire hospital will be given over to COVID-19 patients. As a result, regular hospitalization, surgery and outpatient activities will cease during the emergency, said the statement.
"Since the start of the epidemic, we have made ourselves available to help tackle the Coronavirus COVID-19 epidemic and now we are on the frontline," said Mater Olbia's medical director Pietro Grasso.
"We are ready to do our part by putting in place all the necessary efforts to best manage this extraordinary situation," Grasso added, thanking Sardinia's regional government for picking the hospital for the role.
Mater Olbia has for several weeks been strengthening its staff capacity and recruiting internationally to boost the effectiveness of its wards, primarily intensive care (anesthesiologists and intensive care nurses).
"Concentrating all our efforts now to provide the best possible assistance to COVID-19 patients and tackling the spread of infection is consistent with our mission to ensure good health and concrete responses for citizens," said Mater Olbia's director-general Alessandra Falsetti.
Internationally renowned public health expert and infectious disease specialist Stefano Vella will now work with the hospital and the Sardinia Region, strengthening the specialist oversight needed to battle the Coronavirus epidemic, according to the statement.
A special phone line is already open for patients in the region who need a consultation during the Covid-19 emergency and for patients who cannot access outpatient services, allowing them to speak to Mater Olbia clinicians in various specialist fields including cardiology and gynaecology, said the statement.
Mater Olbia Hospital stems from a partnership between Qatar Foundation Endowment and Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, which sought to combine their skills and experience to create a cutting-edge hospital that is a centre of excellence for the Gallura region and the whole of Sardinia.
The hospital has 250 beds, of which 200 are accredited for Regional Health Service patients and 50 beds available for private patients. Mater Olbia offers five state-of-the-art operating theatres and a vast range of highly sophisticated diagnostic equipment, the statement said.
Outpatient activity began in December and hospital admissions started on 1 July 2019.
