Loiano (Bologna), July 30, 2026 – There were two South American nurses who, as part of a project by the Ausl of Bologna, had started working at the Simiani in Loiano. An operation to protect a mountain healthcare facility, which also saw the participation of the Municipality and citizens in the search for housing. However, the two professionals have already left just a few months after starting the service.
The communication was given by the regional secretary of Fials, Alfredo Sepe: “The outcome of the project promoted by the Azienda Usl di Bologna to recruit nurses from South America is clear to everyone: both professionals have left the Simiani hospital. After conferences, announcements, and proclamations, the result is simple: the project has failed. The Fials Emilia-Romagna said so from the beginning.”
“Offering a room for six months, a plane ticket, and an Italian course is not enough”
“Offering a room for six months, a plane ticket, and an Italian course is not enough to solve a crisis that stems from years of wrong choices – emphasizes Sepe –. If a hospital struggles to attract and retain staff, the problem is not where the nurses come from, but the working conditions they find once they start working. Today the Ausl tries to reassure everyone by announcing two new permanent hires from September. Very well. But then a question naturally arises: if it was possible to hire from the ranking list, why set up an operation that was so costly and ineffective?”
Sepe adds: “More than an innovative project, it seemed like a PR operation that ended with a predictable nothing. Public healthcare does not need slogans or initiatives meant to make headlines for a few weeks. It needs more dignified salaries, adequate staffing, professional enhancement, and working conditions that convince nurses to stay. Fials will continue to denounce every attempt to hide the real problems of healthcare behind initiatives that produce newspaper headlines but do not solve the staff shortage.”
The Ausl’s reply
The Ausl immediately responded through a statement: “Regarding the declarations of Fials, the Company confirms that, following the resignation of the two Dominican nurses, all actions have been taken to ensure that there are no repercussions on the nursing staff of the Loiano hospital, since the Azienda Usl di Bologna has already planned for September, drawing from the available ranking list, two permanent hires, thus guaranteeing full continuity of service.
As for the previous use of the rankings, the project was activated preventively, from January 2026, in anticipation of the launch of the Community Hospital, and included an induction and training path. All procedures for the inpatient areas with consolidation of staffing levels had also already been carried out and completed. However, the commitment to make Loiano an increasingly attractive location for healthcare personnel continues.
Indeed, the possibility remains available, if deemed useful, for Italian or foreign nurses who choose to work in Loiano, to benefit from the project carried out in collaboration with the Municipality of Loiano, which provides free accommodation for the first six months of stay.”
