The tiny Italian village that’s ‘banned’ residents from getting sick | World | News

The mayor of an  Italian village has banned its ageing population from getting sick, in a ploy to provoke action from health authorities.

Mayor Antonio Torchia urged the residents of Belcastro in the sparsely populated region of Calabria to “avoid any illness requiring medical intervention, especially in emergencies.”

As part of the decree, residents have also been ordered “not to leave the house too often, travel or practise sports, and to [instead] rest for the majority of the time”.

The tiny village has around 1,300 inhabitants – the majority of which are elderly – but has no doctor or functioning medical service, and the nearest hospital is 45 kilometres (28 miles) away.

The mayor acknowledged this “ironic provocation” was a success, and “had more effect than the dozens of certified emails I have sent to date”.

He declared: “If there is no news soon, in the next few days I will go to the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Catanzaro to formalise a complaint for interruption of public service.

“The order I issued is obviously an ironic provocation, but I must say that it is having more effect than the dozens of certified emails I have sent to date to the Provincial Health Authority and the Prefecture of Catanzaro to report the shortcomings of the health care service in our centre.

“This is a delicate and difficult situation to manage. Since last June I have been waiting for the health service to be activated in Belcastro, a right, moreover, enshrined in the Constitution, but no one, at the moment, has given me an answer.

“I hope that my initiative will shake some consciences at a political level and that the necessary interventions will be adopted to resolve the situation”.

Eighteen of the region’s hospitals have closed since 2009, and Calabrians face a serious lack of medical personnel and beds, as well as long waiting lists.

Italy has the second-oldest population in the world, with a high life expectancy and a low birth rate, meaning elderly populations in villages is a common theme across the country.

As of 2024, 24.3 percent of the Italian population were aged 65 years and older according to Statista, with a constantly increasing trend since 2009.