What if you were told that you couldn’t become sick? Antonio Torchia, the mayor of the small Italian village of Belcastro, recently told the people just that. This is the twist, though, before you raise an eyebrow: it’s not as harsh as it sounds.
A edict “banning” illnesses was issued by Mayor Torchia as a lighthearted attempt to draw attention to a serious problem: the village’s deteriorating healthcare system. There aren’t any emergency medical services in Belcastro, which has 1,200 residents, the most of whom are elderly. The nearest hospital is almost thirty miles distant, and the journey there is convoluted and slow. Even worse, the village’s on-call physician isn’t available on weekends, holidays, or at night.
It’s not simply Belcastro’s issue. In the last ten years, 18 hospitals have closed in Calabria, one of the poorest regions of Italy, leaving many rural communities without access to healthcare.
It appears that locals agree with their mayor’s audacious decision. According to one local, it was “a provocative decree to attract attention to a serious problem.” More conversation has been sparked by the hilarious prohibition than by the mayor’s earlier warnings to local authorities.
While the decree will not be executed, it has succeeded in raising awareness of the region’s severe healthcare situation. It serves as a reminder of the problems that rural populations face and the importance of taking quick action to increase medical access.
So, while no one will be penalized for sneezing, the mayor’s innovative method to raise awareness has spurred a much-needed discussion on healthcare reform. Humor can sometimes be the best medicine!
