There are not enough places in Lecco to operate and admit all patients after surgery. Deciding who to send home in the end, however, is not the doctor, but the patients. This was what happened last Friday, when some women waiting to be admitted for surgery went home because there were no available beds. The head of Obstetrics and Gynecology, who has led the department for 15 years, allegedly summoned four patients on the list and explained that he could only operate on one of them that day. Specifically, the practitioner's choice would fall on a 51-year-old female cancer patient, but when the doctor communicated the decision, an elderly, 80-year-old woman with bladder problems, accompanied by her daughter, would vehemently point out the difficulties for her of a referral. Hence the younger patient's decision, after the chief physician had verified that postponing the operation for a week would pose no risk, to take a step back and wait a few more days, arousing the discouragement of the professional who reportedly said, "You decide at this point".
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