A trans woman refuses admission to the men's ward. The ATN (National Association of Transgender Women) and the President of the Campania Region's LGBTQIA+ Observatory intervene. The Health Directorate apologizes. President Fico's intervention is decisive: "We must immediately begin work on clear guidelines so this never happens again.".
“If you are a transgender woman, you have no right to healthcare.”. This is the bitter message that seemed to emerge from the story of Iolanda, the protagonist of a distressing medical and human ordeal at the "San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d'Aragona" Hospital in Salerno, fortunately resolved thanks to the timely intervention of associations and institutions.
Iolanda, a woman both psychologically and physically, after six long days of hospitalization on a stretcher in the emergency room, was offered admission to a men's ward, in a room shared with five men. The hospital's reasoning was purely: Iolanda is biologically male and cannot be admitted to the women's wards.
Faced with unacceptable and dignified treatment, Iolanda, despite her precarious health, was forced to refuse admission and leave the hospital, seriously risking her physical safety rather than suffer what she experienced as genuine psychological abuse.
The support network was activated immediately: Iolanda contacted Loredana Rossi of the Trans Napoli Association, which involved Antonello Sannino, President of the Campania Region's LGBTQIA+ Observatory. Arriving at the Ruggi hospital, the representatives initially encountered a wall of intransigence: the emergency room manager denied the patient dignity and respect, in a clear violation of the Hippocratic Oath and constitutional protections. A woman's health risked being jeopardized due to prejudice and bureaucracy.
The turning point came late in the evening, after hours of ordeal outside the hospital emergency room, between lightning and rain, the situation was resolved thanks to the direct intervention of the President of the Campania Region, Roberto Fico, assisted by the councilors Pecoraro And Morniroli. The mediation led to an immediate awareness among hospital management.
There Ruggi Health Directorate She took immediate action, officially apologizing to Iolanda for what she had suffered and providing her with dignified accommodation that was appropriate for her gender identity and her person.
Iolanda's case now marks a point of no return. President Fico has declared his willingness to take immediate action to draft a specific guidelines, the tools needed to equip healthcare facilities with appropriate protocols. The goal is to ensure that similar incidents of discrimination never happen again and that the right to healthcare is given absolute priority, fully respecting the dignity of all citizens, without distinction.
Articolo tratto da https://www.arcigaynapoli.org/2026/02/08/salerno-se-sei-una-donna-transgender-non-hai-diritto-alla-salute/
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